[Sportschosun Reporter Jang Jong-ho] In Russia, there has been a shocking surge in cases of women selling silicone breast implants they had removed from their bodies on online secondhand trading sites.
Experts say economic hardship may be one factor behind the trend, while warning that reusing secondhand implants could pose serious health risks.
According to local media, including the BAZA Telegram channel, posts offering used breast implants for sale have recently been appearing one after another on Russian online secondhand platforms. Sellers cite a range of reasons, such as "I no longer need them after giving birth," "I don't like them anymore," "They started causing pain," "They looked bad after surgery," and "I want to recover at least part of the surgery cost."
According to the local plastic surgery industry, breast augmentation procedures are said to have fallen by about 40% over the past decade.
Some experts believe the trend may be linked to Russia's recent economic conditions.
As the Russo-Ukrainian war drags on, exchange-rate volatility, weaker consumer spending, the withdrawal of global companies, and fuel shortages have increased the burden of living costs, prompting more people to try to cash in unused items.
The asking price for breast implants listed on secondhand platforms is around 30,000 Russian rubles, or about 600,000 won.
BAZA said this is roughly one-third to one-fourth of the price of a new product.
Medical experts stress that actually reusing such products is virtually impossible and extremely dangerous because of the risk of infection and other complications.
Amid the controversy, secondhand platforms are reportedly removing the relevant sales posts.
Reporter Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
