breast implants

As we've struggled with our tax returns, trying to come up with extra deductions, we've all taken a few flights of fancy. Most of us decide not to push our luck. But some people have successfully claimed write-offs for things that most of us wouldn't dream of claiming.

Despite the recession, the cosmetic procedure industry has continued to grow across the board, with injectables creating a whole new business line in the industry of youthful appearance. But what do patients really get out of these procedures -- and are they worth the money?

American Medical Association president J. James Rohack praised the passage of an imperfect U.S. health care reform, saying "we cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good" when the health of Americans is at stake. Apparently that concept doesn't apply when "perfect" means cosmetic surgery.

This post is part of our series on people, places and things that have found new life in 2008. Silicone breast implants, after falling into disfavor in the early 90's on claims that they caused various diseases including cancer, are back. In their latest incarnation, a safer fourth-generation...