Breast Implants and Diving

[SeattleYates]

So I just got my new e-issue of Undercurrent in this morning's email (one of the few dive mags I still subscribe to). In addition to its usual assortment of excellent dive travel reviews and other articles (one on divers finding affordable life insurance, one on saving whale sharks, and an interesting one on oxygen toxicity and nitrox), I found this:

Will Katie Price’s Breast Implants Explode Underwater?
Ah, those British gossip tabloids . How fun they are . In April, the Daily Star reported that celebrity Katie Price, the
British version of Pamela Anderson, was warned her surgically-enhanced breasts could explode if she went diving .
Price was on vacation at the Red Sea resort Sharm el-Sheik and wanted to take a dive course but was told scare stories
(we don’t know by whom) about implants exploding underwater . The Daily Star’s source said, “Given the risks, and
how long she has spent perfecting her boobs, it is unlikely Katie will go ahead."

So do breast implants (or testicular implants on men) change size or explode from pressure underwater? Do they
affect buoyancy? What happens to them after a dive or on the outbound flight? Richard Vann, vice president of
research at Divers Alert Network, led a study...

The study seems to suggest that there isn't much risk to implants or surrounding tissue due to bubble formation at depths of 120fsw or less (the article says there may be more risk to women with implants having their BCD straps too tight). No mention of wetsuits vs. drysuits.

[CaptnJack]

testicular implants?? are those the big blue things I see hanging from the bumper of monster trucks?

[spatman]

testicular implants?? are those the big blue things I see hanging from the bumper of monster trucks?

my neighbor around the corner has trucknutz on his '72 pickup. makes me laugh every time i see it.

[Blaiz]

at least captnjack didnt suggest anything to do with anything contained in his avatar

[Blaiz]

more seriously:

from DAN http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medic ... ?faqid=108

bottom line... it's ok to dive with breast implants, your pamela anderson should be ok

[SeattleYates]

more seriously:

from DAN http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medic ... ?faqid=108

bottom line... it's ok to dive with breast implants, your pamela anderson should be ok

Right - that was the study (and conclusion) cited in the Undercurrent article. I should have posted a link to it with my original post (thanks for correcting that oversight, Blaiz)!

[CaptnJack]

at least captnjack didnt suggest anything to do with anything contained in his avatar

Yeah my NWDC undies don't fit anymore after the implants

[Blaiz]

at least captnjack didnt suggest anything to do with anything contained in his avatar

/facepalm

[Tangfish]

Everyone should bring a redundant pair of inflatable SMBs. I will keep a lookout for them in case she signals needing assistance.

[eliseaboo]

I think they did a similar episode of Mythbusters, but instead they reduced the pressure (say, if you were flying and there was a loss of cabin pressure)...I don't recall there being an issue with that either.

[lizard0924]

I think they did a similar episode of Mythbusters, but instead they reduced the pressure (say, if you were flying and there was a loss of cabin pressure)...I don't recall there being an issue with that either.

I saw that episode. I kept thinking "hmmmm...sudden loss of cabin pressure mid-flight, and implant implosion/explosion probably wouldn't be my first concern."

[Mongo]

So I just got my new e-issue of Undercurrent in this morning's email (one of the few dive mags I still subscribe to). In addition to its usual assortment of excellent dive travel reviews and other articles (one on divers finding affordable life insurance, one on saving whale sharks, and an interesting one on oxygen toxicity and nitrox), I found this:

Will Katie Price’s Breast Implants Explode Underwater?
Ah, those British gossip tabloids . How fun they are . In April, the Daily Star reported that celebrity Katie Price, the
British version of Pamela Anderson, was warned her surgically-enhanced breasts could explode if she went diving .
Price was on vacation at the Red Sea resort Sharm el-Sheik and wanted to take a dive course but was told scare stories
(we don’t know by whom) about implants exploding underwater . The Daily Star’s source said, “Given the risks, and
how long she has spent perfecting her boobs, it is unlikely Katie will go ahead."

So do breast implants (or testicular implants on men) change size or explode from pressure underwater? Do they
affect buoyancy? What happens to them after a dive or on the outbound flight? Richard Vann, vice president of
research at Divers Alert Network, led a study...

The study seems to suggest that there isn't much risk to implants or surrounding tissue due to bubble formation at depths of 120fsw or less (the article says there may be more risk to women with implants having their BCD straps too tight). No mention of wetsuits vs. drysuits.

Uh.... He said breast.

[btken]

I thought that episode was about diving compression? Maybe I'm remembering wrongly. Either way... the fact that they're basically balloons of liquid means they shouldn't really expand/contract, right?...