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More than 360,000 U.S. women will go under the knife this year for breast augmentation.
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And women who elect to enlarge their bustline often see a sizable boost both in self-esteem and positive feelings about their sexuality. That's what a University of Florida researcher found after recently evaluated eighty-four women, ages twenty-one to fifty-seven, before and after elective breast augmentation. On a self-esteem scale of zero to thirty, the patients reported improved self- worth, with a collective jump from twenty points pre-surgery to nearly twenty-five points afterward.
Similarly, on a sexuality survey from zero to thirty-six, the women reported increased satisfaction, with scores rising from twenty-seven pre-op to thirty-one post-recovery. Experts say while women's sexual well-being is very important, it is seldom studied, even in an era when advertisements frequently mention men's sexuality.
Dr. Cindi Figueroa-Haas / UF nursing researcher
"It's even advertised, quite often, all the drugs that can be used to enhance men's sexuality, but you never see that for women. So I wanted to let women know this is an issue, this is an important issue."
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The study also showed that compared with younger women, older patients saw greater improvement in self-esteem and sexuality scores after breast augmentation. Indeed, experts say common reasons for breast surgery include a patient's desire to bring her body back to a more youthful state. Experts stress that some patients will never be satisfied with their bodies no matter how much surgery they receive, and these women are not ideal candidates for the procedure. Breast augmentation should only be considered by women with a strong body image who simply want to enhance certain physical features.
Dr. Cindi Figueroa-Haas / UF nursing researcher
"If they feel that there's something that could possibly improve their feeling about themselves, whether it be self-esteem or whether it might make them feel sexier… they may want to consider it. And the chance of it improving that positive inner feeling about themselves is probably high."
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At the University of Florida Health Science Center, I'm Mike Garrison
