National Breast Implant Awareness Month is observed in March every year. This event is scheduled to coincide with International Women’s Day and is observed throughout the country. The event aims to raise awareness about breast implants, the potential risks of the procedure, and how women can live healthy lives with their implants. Breast implants may be a cosmetic enhancement or utilized in reconstructive plastic surgery. However, despite the number of women who have breast implants, very few have sufficient information about them, from the associated risks and complications to maintenance and shelf life.
History of National Breast Implant Awareness Month
National Breast Implant Awareness Month has been observed in March every year since 2018. This event is observed across the country and is a time devoted to raising awareness and sharing information about breast implants.
Despite the steady increase in the number of women who are choosing to get cosmetic augmentation of their breasts through breast implants, there is very little public knowledge about preparing for and undergoing the procedure as well as caring for them.
Breast implants are a prosthesis that is used to augment or reconstruct breasts depending on whether the individual’s requirements are cosmetic or restoration. Women may undertake breast augmentation procedures for any number of reasons, from contouring their breasts to a shape they find more aesthetically pleasing, to replacing breast tissue lost to trauma or disease as in the case of a mastectomy.
There are four different types of breast implants. They differ based on the material filled in them. The types are saline solution, silicone gel, structure filler, and finally composite filler. Saline-based implants are considered safer in the long term than silicone implants, especially considering the risk of the implant rupturing post-surgery.
National Breast Implant Awareness Month is scheduled to coincide with International Women’s Day so that it’s given due importance as a topic that women need to be better informed about.
There are several complications that women aren’t made aware of, from pain and rupture to reduced feeling in the breasts, potential infections, and fluid collection around the breasts. All of these complications and post-surgery care is a crucial part of what is shared during National Breast Implant Awareness Month.
National Breast Implant Awareness Month timeline
Breast implants are first used in the late 19th century to augment the size, shape, and feel of women’s breasts.
Surgeon Robert Gersuny experiments with paraffin injections as breast implants with disastrous results when the paraffin broke up into smaller particles after injection.
From the early 20th century physicians experiment with substances like ivory, glass, animal cartilage, and rubber among others as breast implants.
Silicone gel breast implants are safer and more malleable than most other materials used for breast augmentation, but there is still a high rate of failures.
National Breast Implant Awareness Month FAQs
How much do breast implants cost?
Breast implants can cost anything between $5,000 to $10,000.
How long do breast implants last?
Breast implants can last anything between 10 to 20 years, but the risk of rupture increases after a decade has passed.
Do breast implants sag over time?
If breast implants are too heavy, they will sag with time.
How to Observe National Breast Implant Awareness Month
Share information about implants
The main focus of National Breast Implant Awareness Month is to share relevant, detailed, and correct information about breast implants. Find free resources and share them on your social media throughout the month.
Use the hashtags
#EachforEqual and #NationalBreastImplantAwarenessMonth are the hashtags used for sharing information and discussing women’s experiences with breast implants. Make sure to use the hashtags and spread the word.
Discuss implants with women around you
It’s important to talk about breast implants. Talk to the women around you about the potential risks and complications of breast implants, and how to live safely after getting breast augmentation surgery.
5 Facts About Breast Implants That Will Surprise You
There was a moratorium on silicone implants
The F.D.A. placed a moratorium on silicone gel-based breast implants in 1992 because there wasn’t enough information to guarantee that the implants were safe and effective.
There was an investigation into the complications
The Institute of Medicine was appointed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to investigate the complications during and after surgery involving breast implants.
There are different permitted age ranges
Due to the complications from the different types of breast implants, the minimum age for getting saline-based breast implants is 18, while the minimum age for silicone-based implants is 22.
An eight to 15% chance of rupture
After 10 years of implantation, eight to 15% of implants may rupture within the breast.
They might interfere with mammograms
The presence of saline or silicone-based implants might interfere with the imaging of a mammogram, and tumors may not show in the mammogram.
Why National Breast Implant Awareness Month is Important
We want women to be informed
Anyone undertaking a medical procedure, even voluntarily, should be aware of all the potential risks. We want to make sure that anyone considering breast implants has the information they need to make informed decisions.
We want to open the discussion
We want more people to talk about breast implants. Regrettably, so many women considering the surgery don’t feel like they can talk about it, and we want to change that.
We want to empower women
We want to use this opportunity to make sure that women feel confident in their bodies regardless of what they decide. We don’t think a medical procedure should be undertaken unless women are sure and confident in themselves.
National Breast Implant Awareness Month dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | March 1 | Saturday |
| 2026 | March 1 | Sunday |
| 2027 | March 1 | Monday |
| 2028 | March 1 | Wednesday |
| 2029 | March 1 | Thursday |
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