Published January 3, 2005 in News-Leader.com
By Tresa McBee
News-Leader

Rebuilding You

As cosmetic surgery becomes more acceptable and procedures increase, experts weigh risks and rewards.

A good day for Kacey Long is being able to get dressed and to class without help. The day she wrote a two-page letter was a milestone. At one time, she couldn't sign her name.

Long got saline breast implants when she was a healthy, athletic 19-year-old. Shooting arm pain began immediately. Every joint ached.

After seeing multiple doctors, Long, of Ennis, Texas, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and arthritis of the neck and spine — both are autoimmune diseases — as well as fibromyalgia (which affects connective tissue) and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Believing her implants were the problem, Long, now 22, had them removed in fall 2003. She immediately felt better, though she remains disabled and unable to work or live alone.

Jeanie Simmons had saline implants when she was 32. After two pregnancies and breast-feeding, Simmons, of West Plains, was unhappy with how she looked.

She'd contemplated surgery for a few years and researched doctors, clinics and the procedure. She got the implants in February and was back to work in a few days. Other than the usual swelling that went away after six weeks, Simmons, now 33, hasn't had problems.

Long and Simmons are two of the almost 7.2 million women who had cosmetic procedures in 2003 — a 16 percent increase from '02, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Liposuction was the No. 1 surgery, with breast augmentation next.

Men had nearly 1.1 million procedures, a 31 percent increase from '02. Liposuction also was the most popular.

Women ages 19 to 34 had 24 percent of procedures. People 35 to 50 had the most at 45 percent.

And though they are a small percentage of the total, people 18 and younger are getting both surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures. According to the ASAPS, 223,594 total cosmetic procedures were done in that age group in 2003.

As the number of cosmetic procedures increases, experts urge those considering such changes to closely review the benefits and dangers.

continue to the Age Factor >>