Cosmetic surgery: It matters to read ads and warnings

Dr Syriacus Buguzi

This week, I stumbled on two online links that left me with the desire to inform my readers.

One link was an advert and the other was a caution. The advert was about the presence of cosmetic surgery services in Dar es Salaam.

It was calling on people, especially women, to go for services that can give a dramatic twist to their personality, making them look and feel better.

Such services include breast surgeries, face lifts, liposuction and tummy tuck. There are others such as Botox injections and dermal fillers and laser treatments.

When I saw the advert, I recalled being asked a question some months ago by a friend who is a communications expert at one of the big banks in Dar es Salaam. She asked, “Hey, Doc. Are cosmetic surgeries not harmful for one’s health?” We had a long talk about it.

However, one of the things I asked her to do was to keep watching the developments because, as technology advances, medical scientists are keen on discovering new things—perhaps, some of the health risks could be noted in the process.

And, just this week, one of the links I stumbled on, was a latest study that issued a caution about breast implants—it’s a must read for this friend, and perhaps for others who have the desire to reconstruct their bodies.

Published in the Jama Oncology, a medical journal, it revealed that more women with implants are increasingly being diagnosed with a rare type of cancer called anaplastic large-cell lymphoma.

The study noted further that doctors may be missing the signs of the disease.

Daphne de Jong, a pathologist at the Netherlands Cancer Institute and one of the authors told The Citizen’s sister paper in Nairobi, Business Daily that textured implants or those with rough surfaces pose a higher cancer risk compared to smooth ones.

‘‘We and others have also found lymphoma (cancer) associated with micro textured breast implants. Smooth implants are still somewhat under debate, but likely these bear the least risks,’’ he said.

“However, it should be noted that market shares and use of implant types have varied over the years and therefore we cannot make strong conclusions on specific risks for lymphoma with specific types,’’ he added.

There were more details

The researchers said the cancer which forms around the implant is typically slow-growing and can develop even 14 years after the surgery.

This is not the first warning, however. In 2011, the US Food and Drug Administration reported a link between implants and the disease, prompting the addition of warnings on product labels.

Stay safe, make informed health choices!