Women who undergo cosmetic surgery for breast augmentation are more likely to die by suicide than women from the general population, according to a new study.
The research, which was published in yesterday's British Medical Journal, identified 3,521 Swedish women aged 15-69 years who had breast implants between 1965 and 1993.
They compared the observed number of deaths in these women with the expected number of deaths from suicide, unintentional injury, cardiovascular disease and cancers over an 11-year period. Although, 59 deaths were expected; 85 women died.
Fifteen women took their own lives compared with five expected deaths from suicide. Excess deaths were also due to malignant disease; 36 against the expected 26, which were mainly lung cancers linked to smoking. Deaths from all other causes were close to the numbers expected.
Previous research has shown that there is a documented link between psychiatric disorders and a desire for cosmetic surgery, and the authors state that "the increased risk for death from suicide may reflect a greater prevalence of psychopathology rather than a causal association between implant surgery and suicide".
As a result of these findings, the researchers from the University of Utrecht and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm suggest that surgeons evaluating candidates for breast-implant surgery need to be vigilant for subtle signs of psychiatric problems.
Breast implantation and breast reduction are among the commonest procedures carried out by cosmetic surgery clinics.