Coping With Body Image
- Salley Carson, of the Bravo reality TV series “Southern Charm,” has admitted to getting breast implants for the “wrong reason”and will soon be getting them removed. Although Carson hasn’t dealt with any major health issues, her new confidence and positive body image, regarding her breasts, is something that may resonate with many cancer survivors out there who’ve struggled with body image after treatment.
- It’s important to appreciate for our body no matter what it looks like, and that’s a powerful message that can likely resonate with many cancer survivors out there who’ve struggled with body image after treatment.
- “Body image is both the mental picture that you have of your body and the way you feel about your body when you look in a mirror,” Dr. Marianna Strongin, a New York-based licensed clinical psychologist, tells SurvivorNet. “As you allow yourself to spend more time looking at all of you, you will begin having a new relationship with your body.”
- A positive outlook on body image can be really helpful for people living with illnesses like cancer, PCOS, or struggles with mental health due to body image issues.
- Meanwhile, doctors have detected a possible link between breast implants and cancer; specifically between implants and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), a cancer of the immune system. If you do find yourself in a situation where an evaluation of your implants is needed, you will undergo a physical exam and imaging studies “to evaluate the implant shell integrity, determine if there is fluid around the implant and visualize the implant capsule,” according to SurvivorNet experts.
After newly joining season 10 of the Bravo series, the 30-year-old reality TV star, who works as hybrid robotic and core spinal representative for a medical device, said on the show that she”’ soon be “getting my girls [breast implants] taken out, according to Bravo TV.
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“And my chin. And I’m like, ‘This hurts so f–king bad.'”
Carson also noted how her insecurities prompted her to “get little pokes here and there.” She added, “But then I realized that it makes me feel good, too. So I’m going to continue to do that.”
As for her breast implants, Carson said she had them put in more than two years ago because she thought it’s what her ex wanted.
She explained in a confessional, “It’s not like my ex-fiancé told me, ‘Your boobs aren’t good enough’ or anything like that. He never did. But the girls that he was giving attention to had bigger breasts and didn’t look like I looked, and it somewhat made me insecure.
“But now if a guy told me to get something done or made me feel that way I would just exit the relationship.”
Following Carson’s breast implant confession, O’Connell revealed her was “a bit bothered” by her thicker ankles, and ultimately had “ankle and calf liposuction” done, to then transfer the “fat into my boobs” as she recounted having very small breasts.
RELATED: Breast Implants That May Cause Cancer– The FDA’s Meeting About Safety Concerns
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How Salley Carson’s Improved Outlook On Her Body Can Inspire Cancer Survivors
Salley Carson’s new appreciation of her body is certainly powerful and a message that can likely resonate with many cancer survivors out there who’ve struggled with body image after treatment.
Despite not dealing with any health issues, it’s importance to understand that body image problems are not unusual, especially for so many people dealing with health challenges – whether cancer or another type of illness.
You should try to work on how you view your body because it can positively impact your emotional and physical well-being as a whole.
Learn to Accept Yourself A Huge Part of Living With Cancer
“Every day of our lives is really filled with uncertainty” but those facing a cancer diagnosis tend to feel that uncertainty at a more extreme level, Dr. William Breitbart, the chair of the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, previously told SurviorNet.
Dr. Breitbart also said that learning to embrace that uncertainty is a part of living, not just for those fighting cancer, but for everyone.
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“What the task becomes is having the courage to live in the face of uncertainty, realizing that you cannot necessarily control the uncertainty in life, like the suffering that occurs, challenges both good and bad,” Dr. Breitbart says.
“You may not be able to control those but you have control over how you choose to respond.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Marianna Strongin, a New York-based licensed clinical psychologist, also has some helpful advice. She encourages people that spending time in front of the mirror can help with body image.
Although “research has found that when looking in the mirror we are more likely to focus on the parts of our body we are dissatisfied with” which can cause “a negative self-view and lower self-esteem,” it’s important to look at the parts of your body that you love and the parts of your body that you don’t.
Eventually, Dr. Strongin says, doing so can help you create a more accepting relationship with yourself.
“Body image is both the mental picture that you have of your body and the way you feel about your body when you look in a mirror,” she said. “As you allow yourself to spend more time looking at all of you, you will begin having a new relationship with your body.”
MORE: My Confidence Was Destroyed: Dealing With Body Image During Cancer Treatment
Whether you are living with cancer or some other type of illness, it’s important to know you’re not alone if you’re having a hard time with how you view your body after receiving a diagnosis or going through treatment.
Dr. Andrea Pusic explains how reconstruction can help some women feel whole again
Learning About Breast Implants
Thankfully, Carson hasn’t had any health issues associated with her breast implants, but there is a possible link between breast implants and cancer; specifically between implants and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), a cancer of the immune system. Researchers don’t know if the implant filling (i.e. saline or silicone) impacts the development of ALCL.
Meanwhile, Breast implant illness (BII) is a condition with symptoms that include fatigue, joint pain, memory and concentration problems, and more, says Breastcancer.org. Experts believe this condition is due to having an autoimmune reaction to the breast implants.
Breastcancer.org notes that BII is a separate condition from the types of cancer, which are rare, that can develop in scar tissue and fluid surrounding a breast implant, including breast implant-associated large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), other forms of lymphoma, and squamous cell carcinoma.
According to the FDA, the lists associated with all FDA-approved implants include:
- Additional surgeries
- Breast implant associated-anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL)
- Systemic symptoms, Breast Implant Illness (BII)
- Scar tissue that squeezes the implant
- Breast pain
- Rupture (tears or holes in the shell) of saline and silicone gel-filled implants
- Deflation of saline-filled implants
- Silent (no symptoms) rupture of silicone gel-filled implants
- Infection
“The silicone used for breast implants is different than injectable silicone. Injectable silicone is not FDA-approved for breast augmentation, breast reconstruction, or for body contouring,” the FDA explains.
RELATED: “My Breast Implants Gave Me Cancer”: Mom Of Three’s Warning To Women
In an earlier interview, SurvivorNet spoke with Dr. Andrea Pusic, Chief of Plastic Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, about the safety of implants. She says, “Many years ago there were concerns about silicone implants, and silicone implants were taken out of the U.S. market.”
Dr. Pusic continues, “Subsequent to that there were a number of very large studies that gave us new information about the performance of silicone implants.
“Subsequent also to that, there’s been further improvements in the silicone implants we are able to offer patients. If that implant does leak, the silicone would rarely go anywhere, and it won’t make you sick.”
She says that implants are generally safe, but that they require surveillance, too.
Are Breast Implants Dangerous?
Doctors Weigh In On Breast Implant Concerns
In an earlier interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Sarah Cate, the lead physician for the Special Surveillance Breast Program at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, and Dr. Jordan Jacobs, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, discussed breast implant concerns for survivors of breast cancer, following the release of FDA safety communication. The FDA received 10 medical device reports (MDRs) about squamous cell carcinoma and 12 reports about various lymphomas connected to breast implants.
Doctors Cate and Jacobs told SurvivorNet, regarding the FDA safety communication, “personally don’t think there is cause for alarm.”
The doctors believe the data shared by the FDA does not conclusively tie breast cancer to implants. Although, the pair does say, “the fact that the cancers were found in the implant capsules is certainly concerning and requires further investigation.”
Dr. Cate and Dr. Jacobs note how the FDA has required the placement of warnings on breast implant packaging. Additionally, there is newly an implant checklist that patients must sign and review before undergoing implant surgery. The doctors noted how ALCL, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, has been associated with implants for years.
The doctors affirmed that textured implants, those linked to ALCL, are not used at Mount Sinai. The doctors also note that implants require monitoring, and that if there are an adverse conditions spotted after the implants, they should be reported to the FDA.
Dr. Cate and Dr. Jacobs tell SurvivorNet, “Patients who have implants placed for either cosmetic or reconstructive purposes should have yearly follow-ups with their surgeons.”
They add that “there are recommendations from the FDA for routine (every 2-3 years) MRIs to evaluate the integrity of the implant and the surrounding capsule.”
If you do find yourself in a situation where an evaluation of your implants is needed, you will undergo a physical exam and imaging studies “to evaluate the implant shell integrity, determine if there is fluid around the implant and visualize the implant capsule.” Most breast radiologists can perform sampling fluid, as well, so that the fluid can be examined to see if there are any abnormal cells present.
“Surgical management includes removal of the implant and the surrounding capsule, which is sent to pathology to rule out atypical cells and/or cancer,” Dr. Cate and Dr. Jacobs added.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
If you are struggling with body image and mental health, here are some questions you may consider asking your doctor:
- Are there interventions beyond medication for my depressed or anxious feelings?
- How can I go about finding and nourishing positive emotions?
- What can I do if I’m struggling to maintain a sense of positivity?
- What lifestyle factors can I adjust to feel better mentally?
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
