Strikingly attractive, with huge brown eyes, flawless skin and cropped platinum hair, Voog, who stands 5 feet 2 and weighs 90 pounds, also has remarkably large breasts for such a petite woman. Surreal or not, the experience is one that more and more U.S. women are seeking. The number of operations plunged to 32,607, from a high estimated at 120,000 to 150,000 in 1990. But the count has been rising again, and exceeded 122,000 last year, according to the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. Silicone gel is still banned from most cosmetic implants, but it has been replaced by saline implants like Voog's.
Plastic surgeons say the interest never died.
There have always been women who wanted bigger breasts, but many were scared away by reports that silicone might be unsafe. Saline implants then gained acceptance as a safer alternative. Even though the covering is made of a rubbery form of solid silicone, it has not been linked to health problems. In the meantime, despite lawsuits blaming silicone implants for autoimmune illnesses such as lupus and scleroderma, studies have not proved the connection, and many women take that as reassurance that implants are safe. Infection and complications of anesthesia can occur, as with any surgery.