Body Image Perceptions of Young Female Mastectomy Patients
Introduction
Body image can be defined as the subjective evaluation of personal appearance, as is an undeniably important issue for young female mastectomy patients, as research has shown the undeniable links between gender associations and body image (Jackson LA; Sullivan LA; Rostker R, 1988). Breasts form a large part of the female identity across many cultures, and their removal may have adverse psychological effects, and can negatively affect many aspects of life.
There has been little systemic research conducted in this area that individually considers patient experiences without generalisation (Brendin M, 1999). This can explain the current deficiency in evidence-based programs designed to deal with the mental, emotional and psychological issues these patients experience before and affect the procedure (Hopwood and Magurie, 1988).
In a 1992 research paper studying the psychological effects breast cancer treatments on female subjects, it was found that the mastectomy patients experienced more problems with body image compared to the breast conservation therapy patients (Ganz, Schag, Lee, Polinsky & Tan, 1992). In another research paper published in 2013, comparing the psychological effects of breast conservation surgery (BCS; n=50) and modified radical mastectomy (MRM; n=70), it was found that whilst the BCS patients experienced greater short term psychological effects, the MRM patients experienced a great deal more long term psychological effects (Sun, Meng, Huang & Wang, 2013). It was concluded that the more significant loses of breast tissue caused more severe psychological impacts.
Purpose of Study
With increasing rates of mastectomy in younger female pati...
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...t only detecting the subjects’ reactions towards certain questions.
The focus group will also be analysed in terms of recurring themes, but also through the direction of the conversation, and recurring issues raised. This examination of the conversation will provide a sense of the broader and differeing social contexts which influence the body image of these women. Questions such as “To what extent do you think the media influences how women feel about their body image?” may ignite a variety of reactions from different cultures, due to level of exposure to media types and messages.
Implications of Research
The implications of this research would be to gain a broader understanding of female mastectomy patients of different cultures to potentially assist in developing programs to better assist these patients to minimise the psychological impacts of the procedure.
Like a blueprint or instruction manual, the objective of a rhetorical analysis is to dissect a written argument, identify its many parts, and explain how all of them come together to achieve a desired effect. Susan Bordo, a professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Kentucky, wrote “The Empire of Images in Our World of Bodies”, published in 2003 in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Her essay examines how the media plays a pervasive role in how women view their bodies to the point where we live in an empire of images and there are no protective borders. In “The Empire of Images in Our World of Bodies”, Bordo not only effectively incorporates numerous facts and statistics from her own research and the research of others; she also appeals to emotional realities of anxiety and inadequacy felt by women all over the world in regards to their body image. Ultimately, her intent is to critique the influence of the media on self-confidence and body image, and to remind her audience of the overt as well as subconscious messages they are receiving on a daily basis.
G brings his 12-year-old daughter, Aliya, to Dr. Jordan’s office with the request that he perform the procedure on her. Although traditionally the procedure is performed without anesthesia or antiseptics, Mr. G says that he wants his daughter to have access to these, because he does not want her to suffer and wants her to be safe. Dr. Jordan does not find these concessions satisfactory, however. He believes that the practice, even with anesthesia, reflects an unacceptable disfigurement, repression, and control of women. Mr. G and his daughter insist that they want the procedure carried out; if not, they will seek the traditional method when they return to their home country for a planned visit.”
"ERIC - Effects of Radical Mastectomy on a Woman's Feminine Self-Concept., 1972." ERIC - Effects of Radical Mastectomy on a Woman's Feminine Self-Concept., 1972. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Major changes occur in a women's body especially to the breasts with age, significant weight reduction, childbirth, and breast feeding. Apart from affecting the self-confidence, large breast cause other physical discomforts in the form of neck and back pain. This procedure is useful in reconstituting the breast configuration in women who have undergone Mastectomy to remove breast, mostly due to cancer. The breast formation may either involve implants or tissues from other parts of the body such as back or lower abdomen. Reconstruction of nipple and areola may be done to regain the natural appearance and confidence. The firmness and round contour of the breast can be restored by breast reduction surgery. Often, some women feel the size of their breast is too small. Some people desire for augmentation surgery after breast changes due to pregnancy, while others wish to correct the asymmetry in the size of the breast. In all these cases, it is possible to peerform breast enhancement surgery.
Tirgari, B., Iranmanesh, S., Fazel, A., & Kalantarri, B. (2012). Quality of Life and Mood State in Iranian Women Post Mastectomy. Clinical Journal Of Oncology Nursing, 16(3), E118-22
Every woman has her own reasons behind her decision to get breast implants. Some women have undergone mastectomies, and get breast implants in order to feel “normal” again. According to the National Women’s Health Network (http://www.womenshealthnetwork.org) women who have lumpectomies have the same survival rate of women who have mastectomies as a result of breast cancer. They concluded that up to 40 percent of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer underwent unnecessary mastectomies. These mastectomies, whether necessary or not may lead to women to undergo breast augmentation surgery.
Piot‐Ziegler, C. (2010). Mastectomy, body deconstruction, and impact on identity: A qualitative study. British Journal of Health Psychology, (3), 479-510. Platt, J., Baxter, N., Zhong, T. (2011). Breast reconstruction after mastectomy for breast cancer. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 183 (18), 2109-2116.
Does having plastic surgery actually make the patients feel better? Studies have shown that people report having increased fulfillment with the body part they had the work done on. The short-term effects were that people felt better about themselves. However, results are more mixed for whether plastic surgery boosts the patients` long-term self-esteem and their quality of life in the long run. A study done by David Sarwer, another psychologist, found that after receiving cosmetic surgery, “as many as 90% of patients report satisfaction with their surgical outcome....
First of all, plastic surgery enhances the self-confidence of the person who undertakes it (Nauert, 2011). In fact, according to Figueroa-Haas (as cited in Nauert, 2011), although plastic surgery is not the best way to cure low self-esteem problems we can’t deny its psychological benefits. Figueroa-Haas, (as cited in Nauert, 2011), conducted a study in 2005, on 84 women in their middle age to assess the change in their self-esteem before and after breast enlargement and the results showed that indeed, the women’s self-confidence improved after the surgery and it also affected their sexual satisfaction and attitudes. Similar studies have been made by Borah (as cited in Kohl, 2000) on cosmetic surgery patients to evaluate their quality of life before and after the proc...
Is the point of recovery for a breast cancer patient to perceive a false body part or come to love her body in its absence? The patriarchal gaze has convoluted the importance of owning the female body beyond male expectations. The pursuit of a woman's desires can thus be seen as a double-edged sword in the context of bodily autonomy. On one hand, asserting one's
Body image, according to Webster’s dictionary is a subjective picture of one’s own physical appearance established both by self-observation and by noting the reactions of others. Body image refers to people’s judgment about their own bodies and it is molded as people compare themselves to others. Since people are exposed to numerous media images, these media images become the foundation for some of these comparisons. When people’s judgment tell them that their bodies are subpar, they can suffer from low self-esteem, can become depressed or develop mental or eating disorders.
There are many Cons’ that are associated with cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. Some procedures can leave a person scared for life physically or even mentally. For instance, “Liposuction is the removal of fat cells to produce smoother contours, if to much fat and fluid is removed at once the patient could go into shock, bleed internally, or worst of all die.” (Margie Parent 2002) After some cosmetic and reconstructive surgeries sometimes it is found very common for a person to have a hard time adjust...
If you think about all of the mental diseases that have to do with body image, they could all have an impact on whether or not someone considers mutilating their body. A study in August of 2007 shows that the long term risk of suicide in tripled for women who have undergone cosmetic surgery. It has been strongly suggested over the years that to improve mental health of patients undergoing cosmetic surgery should have a mental screening and follow up meeting prior to the surgery, to make sure they will be mentally okay with the change and that they are sure they want to go through. Although these tripled suicide rates could vanish if we all in all ban cosmetic surgery. An article about why people seeking plastic surgery should have mental health screenings says, “Women with breast implants also had higher rates of death from psychiatric disorders, including a three-fold increase in deaths resulting from alcohol and drug dependence. Several additional deaths, classified as accidents or injuries, might have been suicides or involved psychiatric disorders or drug/alcohol abuse as a contributing cause. "Thus at least 38 deaths (22% of all deaths) in this implant cohort were associated with suicide, psychological disorders, and/or drug and alcohol abuse/dependence," the researchers write.” (Espejo) Having a mental order like Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) could be a huge influence on wanting plastic
There has been a substantial increase in cosmetic surgery being performed on individuals to enhance their looks leading to perception of beauty being changed in society. Many people who receive cosmetic surgery claimed that the surgery has improved their overall mental and physical well being. We must understand that, the most crucial and motivating factor of people wanting cosmetic surgery is through body image. There is two components of constructs in body image, body image through orientation, refers to how important the body is to the person. The second leading factor for cosmetic surgery is body image evaluation,
When most people think of cosmetic surgery they think of shows such as Botched and Atlanta Plastic. Media has conditioned individuals to see cosmetic surgery as a magical cure for those who are displeased with some aspect of their body but that is simply not the case. In fact, those with mental disorders who receive cosmetic/plastic surgery often show worsening symptoms and even develop an addiction to procedures. As of today, Bariatric surgery is the only kind of cosmetic procedure that requires any degree of psychological screening (ASMBS). Unfortunately, doctors are letting patients down by not evaluating a patient’s psychological health before performing cosmetic procedures. Some may argue that psychological screening is too expensive,