Beware: The One Surgery Performed Too Much On Black Women

We all know that surgeries can be not only necessary but are sometimes even life-saving. Yet, other times the reason to go under the knife is taken a little too lightly and the surgery is performed when it doesn’t need to be.

The Most Popular Surgeries on Women in the U.S.

According to plastic surgery trends, the most popular cosmetic operations include:

1. Breast augmentation
   • Uses implants or fat transfer to increase breast size or improve symmetry.
2. Liposuction
   • Removes stubborn fat from areas such as the abdomen, thighs, hips, back, and arms.
3. Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty)
   • Removes excess skin and tightens abdominal muscles.
   • Especially popular after pregnancy or significant weight loss.
4. Breast lift (mastopexy)
   • Raises and reshapes sagging breasts without necessarily increasing size.
5. Facelift
   • Tightens facial tissues and reduces visible signs of aging.
6. Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL)
   • Transfers fat from other areas of the body to enhance the buttocks.
   • While popular, it has one of the highest complication risks among cosmetic procedures and should only be performed by experienced, board-certified plastic surgeons.

The Surgeries That Are Becoming More Common

Several procedures have seen growing demand in recent years:

• Breast reduction
• Upper eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty)
• Arm lift (brachioplasty)
• Thigh lift
• Fat transfer to the face or breasts
• “Mommy makeover” (a combination of procedures such as tummy tuck, breast surgery, and liposuction)

Age Trends

• 20s–30s: Breast augmentation, liposuction, C-sections, ovarian cyst removal.
• 40s–50s: Hysterectomy, breast lift, tummy tuck, gallbladder surgery.
• 60s and older: Knee replacement, hip replacement, cataract surgery, cancer-related surgeries.

The most common procedure overall depends on the category:

• Medical: Cesarean section is among the most frequently performed surgeries in women of childbearing age.
• Cosmetic: Breast augmentation and liposuction consistently rank among the most commonly performed aesthetic surgeries worldwide.

The #1 Surgery Performed Too Much on Black Women

If you don’t have to go under the knife, would you? Here’s one surgery that is being performed far too often on Black women.

While cancer, fibroids, cysts, or problems with menstruation are all probable reasons for a hysterectomy, studies have shown that this procedure is performed far too many times. Data shows that 1 in 3 women will have their uterus removed before they turn 60. After several studies, the data also shows that many women do not need the hysterectomy that they have had. It is the second most common surgery in reproductive-aged women and yet there are so many that are performed that do not need to be.

Wayne State University and the University of Michigan conducted a study on over 3,400 women who had hysterectomies. They found that 1 in 5 of these women had surgery for conditions such as endometriosis and fibroids. These are benign conditions that usually do not require a hysterectomy for treatment. They also found that 2 out of 5 women who had hysterectomies before they turned 40 were unnecessary.

Why This Surgery is So Bad

MUST READ: How To Recover Better From Surgery

Dr. Daniel Morgan, one of the authors of the study, said that this data calls into question whether surgeons are cutting when they do not need to be. The hysterectomy is a major surgery and brings about a lot of change in a woman’s life. She will be unable to conceive after the uterus is taken out. She will no longer menstruate which can mess with her hormones and cause her to have to use hormone therapy. It is a surgery that should not be performed unless it is absolutely necessary and in many cases it is done anyway.

The researchers on these studies found that there are other alternatives to the surgery with certain conditions. For example the abnormal bleeding that a woman may be experiencing can get an IUD which controls her hormones and often times helps with this.

Further research showed that only 12% of the women in the study considered doing this before the surgery and only 1/3 of those women had gone ahead with it. Over 40% of the women in the study had no alternative treatments before undergoing the knife.

While medical records do not show if these women were given options for alternative treatments and refused them, the fact still remains that more women are having this surgery than they should.

Questions You Should Ask BEFORE Getting this Surgery

What exactly is causing my pain?

Sometimes, the reason will not be entirely clear to the doctor and if time and your insurance allows more research to be done, you should investigate it.

Are there are other tests that can be done to make the diagnosis more apparent?

The decision whether to have these tests or not should be yours and should be balanced with the side effects and cost of the tests.

What are the consequences to my health if you do not have surgery, either at all, or at this time?

For non-life-threatening problems, one option is always to do nothing. However, doing nothing often means more frequent visits to your doctor to monitor your problem.

What are the non-surgical alternative therapies available to treat my condition?

For a vast number of conditions, there are usually alternatives of varying degrees of effectiveness.

What is your experience doing the operation that has been proposed?

Of course there will be referrals to a specialist or a team of specialists to do your procedure. Knowing the expertise of anyone who will potentially lead your surgery is important.

Whatever you decided, your main goal is to be informed. Stay in constant communication with your doctor and know your options, good bad or indifferent.