Research shows: silicone breasts work like mini airbags

Anyone whose breasts are enlarged obviously exposes themselves to a certain health risk as a result of the operation. But in the event of a car accident, they can even reduce the risk of chest injuries – this has now been scientifically proven by researchers from the Society for Plastic Surgery in Spokane, Washington.

In car accidents, the chest wall is often exposed to high pressure – this can lead to serious injuries such as rib fractures, even at low speeds. The scientists investigated whether silicone implants can absorb the forces that act on the chest during a crash. The result: the extra filling actually has a positive effect.

Implants reduce pressure by almost a quarter
However, the speed must be under 20 kilometers per hour. This is the threshold at which airbags are actually deployed. Accidents at such low speeds can happen, for example, in a store parking lot. In the US you don’t even have to wear a seat belt. “Breast implants reduce the maximum pressure to which the chest wall is exposed by 23 percent,” the researchers write in the conclusion of the study.

Implants are less useful at high speeds
However, at higher speeds, implants are less useful in an accident. As scientists from the Polytechnic University of Milan discovered, a high-speed crash can damage the implants. “Crash tests have shown that a collision at a speed of 90 km/h can be enough to damage implants,” they explained in the study.