Surreal or not, the experience is one that more and more American women are seeking. The number of operations plunged to 32,607, from a high of an estimated 120,000 to 150,000 in 1990. But the count has been climbing back up, and exceeded 122,000 last year, according to the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. The states with the most operations are Florida, Texas and California, and plastic surgeons report that women in Texas request bigger implants than those in any other state. Silicone gel is still banned from most cosmetic implants, but it has been replaced by saline implants like Ms. 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, like lupus and scleroderma, studies have not proved the connection, and many women take that as reassurance that implants are safe. Painful scar tissue can harden the breasts, and the implants can rupture, go flat and need replacing.