Rib removal

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Rib removal
Specialty plastic surgeon (if not for therapeutic reason)

Rib removal is surgery to remove one or more ribs. Rib resection is the removal of part of a rib. [1] The procedures are done for various medical reasons. A number of celebrities have been falsely rumoured to have had ribs removed as a form of body modification. [2]

Contents

Therapeutic removal

Rib removal may be medically approved in several situations. If a rib is fractured in such a way that it might puncture a vital organ, it may be safer to remove it than wait for it to heal. [1] A cancerous rib may be removed to stop the cancer from spreading. [1] Rib bone material may be used for a bone graft. [1] The excess pressure of thoracic outlet syndrome may be reduced by rib removal. [1] Major surgery to the thoracic cavity, such as open heart surgery, may require removal of ribs to allow access to the organ being operated on. [1]

Body modification

Victorian fashion valued a wasp waist and hourglass figure for women. This was achieved through laced corsets. Twentieth-century rumors hold that some women had their lower ribs removed to facilitate tighter lacing of the waist. In 1931, corset-maker Rosa Binner alleged that French actress Polaire had had her lowest rib removed in the 1890s. [3] Germaine Greer's second-wave feminist book The Female Eunuch gives the practice as an example of male-directed distortion of the female body. [4] Valerie Steele's history of the corset finds no evidence of such a procedure, and with Lynne Kutsche argues the mortal danger of surgery of the era makes it extremely implausible. [5]

Barbara Mikkelson of Snopes.com suggests that Florenz Ziegfeld might have started such a rumor about his protégée Anna Held to publicize her career. [6] Similar stories have been spread about later celebrities. Cher hired a physician in 1990 to confirm that she has a full set of ribs. [6] It was rumored that Marilyn Manson had ribs removed to facilitate autofellatio. [7] Interviewed for a Vogue article in 2000, John E. Sherman of Weill Cornell Medical College said that while such a procedure was theoretically possible, there was no record of it in the medical literature. [8]

Amanda Lepore claimed that she had skirted the law to obtain a similar surgery. She was quoted saying "'I've had my boobs done, and my lips done, my bottom lip reduced, and my bottom rib broken and pushed in—I think Raquel Welch and Cher did that, too. It's illegal in the US, but I had it done in Mexico. They break the floating rib in the back and push it in, so there's no scar." in an interview. [9]

In October 2015, internet model and self-proclaimed "living doll" Pixee Fox documented the procedure to remove her six lower ribs on her Tumblr account. The procedure shortened rather than fully removed the ribs. [10] In an interview with Closer, she stated that it was difficult to find a doctor willing to perform the surgery. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surgery</span> Medical procedures that involve incisive or invasive instruments into body cavities

Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and/or instrumental techniques to physically reach into a subject's body in order to investigate or treat pathological conditions such as a disease or injury, to alter bodily functions, to improve appearance, or to remove/replace unwanted tissues or foreign bodies. The subject receiving the surgery is typically a person, but can also be a non-human animal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corset</span> Reinforced historical European undergarment

A corset is a support undergarment worn to hold and train the torso into the desired shape and posture. They are traditionally constructed out of fabric with boning made of whalebone or steel, a stiff panel in the front called a busk which holds the torso rigidly upright, and some form of lacing which allows the garment to be tightened. Corsets were an essential undergarment in European women's fashion from the 17th century to the early 20th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries they were commonly known as "stays" and had a more conical shape. This later evolved into the curvaceous 19th century form which is commonly associated with the corset today. By the beginning of the 20th century, shifting gender roles and the onsets of World War I and II led the corset to be largely discarded by mainstream fashion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tightlacing</span> Practice of wearing a tightly laced corset

Tightlacing is the practice of wearing a tightly laced corset. It is done to achieve cosmetic modifications to the figure and posture or to experience the sensation of bodily restriction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardiothoracic surgery</span> Medical specialty involved in surgical treatment of organs inside the thorax

Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of organs inside the thoracic cavity — generally treatment of conditions of the heart, lungs, and other pleural or mediastinal structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pectus excavatum</span> Congenital deformity of the chest

Pectus excavatum is a structural deformity of the anterior thoracic wall in which the sternum and rib cage are shaped abnormally. This produces a caved-in or sunken appearance of the chest. It can either be present at birth or develop after puberty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thoracic outlet syndrome</span> Medical condition

Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is a condition in which there is compression of the nerves, arteries, or veins in the superior thoracic aperture, the passageway from the lower neck to the armpit, also known as the thoracic outlet. There are three main types: neurogenic, venous, and arterial. The neurogenic type is the most common and presents with pain, weakness, paraesthesia, and occasionally loss of muscle at the base of the thumb. The venous type results in swelling, pain, and possibly a bluish coloration of the arm. The arterial type results in pain, coldness, and pallor of the arm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colectomy</span> Surgical removal of any extent of the colon

Colectomy is bowel resection of the large bowel (colon). It consists of the surgical removal of any extent of the colon, usually segmental resection. In extreme cases where the entire large intestine is removed, it is called total colectomy, and proctocolectomy denotes that the rectum is included.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pneumonectomy</span> Surgical removal of a lung

A pneumonectomy is a surgical procedure to remove a lung. It was first successfully performed in 1933 by Dr. Evarts Graham. This is not to be confused with a lobectomy or segmentectomy, which only removes one part of the lung.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corset piercing</span> Multiple body piercings in two roughly parallel rows

A corset piercing is a body piercing that consists of multiple piercings in rows, usually on the back, with ribbon or string laced through to mimic the appearance of a corset. Two rows of bilaterally symmetrical piercings are performed and can be composed of as few as four piercings or as many as the length of the area being pierced and the vertical space between piercings will allow space for. Due to the difficulty and risks associated with permanently healing single surface piercings, most corset piercings are intended to be temporary.

Laser surgery is a type of surgery that uses a laser to cut tissue.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thoracoscopy</span> Internal medical examination

Thoracoscopy is a medical procedure involving internal examination, biopsy and/or resection/drainage of disease or masses within the pleural cavity, usually with video assistance. Thoracoscopy may be performed either under general anaesthesia or under sedation with local anaesthetic.

Lobectomy of the lung is a surgical operation where a lobe of the lung is removed. It is done to remove a portion of diseased lung, such as early stage lung cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germaine Greer</span> Australian writer and public intellectual (born 1939)

Germaine Greer is an Australian writer and public intellectual, regarded as one of the major voices of the second-wave feminism movement in the latter half of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery</span>

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is a type of minimally invasive thoracic surgery performed using a small video camera mounted to a fiberoptic thoracoscope, with or without angulated visualization, which allows the surgeon to see inside the chest by viewing the video images relayed onto a television screen, and perform procedures using elongated surgical instruments. The camera and instruments are inserted into the patient's chest cavity through small incisions in the chest wall, usually via specially designed guiding tubes known as "ports".

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corset controversy</span> The concerns of supporters and detractors arguments for and against wearing a corset.

The corset controversy was a moral panic and public health concern around corsets in the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arvind Kumar (surgeon)</span>

Arvind Kumar is an Indian surgeon and the Chairman of Institute of Chest Surgery, Chest Onco Surgery and Lung Transplantation at Medanta Hospital, Gurugram and Founder & Managing Trustee, Lung Care Foundation. He is Former Chairman, Center for Chest Surgery and Director, Institute of Robotic Surgery at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) New Delhi. He is Former Professor of Surgery & Head of Thoracic & Robotic Surgery Unit, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi (1988-2012). He was President of the Association of Surgeons of India in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slipping rib syndrome</span> Pain in the false ribs due to the partial dislocation of the costal cartilage

Slipping rib syndrome (SRS) is a condition in which the interchondral ligaments are weakened or disrupted and have increased laxity, causing the costal cartilage tips to subluxate. This results in pain or discomfort due to pinched or irritated intercostal nerves, straining of the intercostal muscles, and inflammation. The condition affects the 8th, 9th, and 10th ribs, referred to as the false ribs, with the 10th rib most commonly affected.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Rib Resection". Medical Disability Guidelines. Reed Group. Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  2. ↑ "Getting Waisted". Snopes. 8 August 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  3. ↑ Ducas, Dorothy (18 January 1931). "Confessions of the Queen of Corsets". Palm Beach Post. Palm Beach. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  4. ↑ Greer, Germaine (2009-10-06). The Female Eunuch. HarperCollins. p. 34. ISBN   9780061972805 . Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  5. ↑ Steele, Valerie (2001). The Corset: A Cultural History. Yale University Press. pp. 73–74. ISBN   9780300099539.
  6. 1 2 Mikkelson, Barbara (8 July 2006). "Rib Removal". snopes.com. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  7. ↑ VanHooker, Brian (November 2017). "All the reasons celebs have been rumored to have ribs removed and whether they would have worked". Archived from the original on 2019-01-26. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  8. ↑ Godfrey-June, Jean (August 2000). "Waist Land". Vogue. Archived from the original on 26 December 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  9. ↑ "Into the Gloss interview with Amanda Lepore". 2016-02-24. Archived from the original on 2014-04-13. Retrieved 2014-05-15.
  10. ↑ "Corsets and Rib Removal". Lucy's Corsetry. 2018-01-30. Archived from the original on 2018-04-28. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
  11. ↑ Knox, Miranda. Closer Magazine: Issue 672, 13 November 2015. "'I've Had Six Ribs Removed To Look Like a Living Doll'".
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