The new full body scanning systems being deployed in airports across the country have touched off a variety of reactions from travelers. While many passengers feel grateful for the extra security, others are outraged that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers see nude images of their body.
There’s an additional wrinkle in all this for cosmetic surgery patients—the scanners can reveal artificial devices in the body including breast implants. If you’re directed through one of the most sophisticated scanners this holiday season, be prepared for security personnel to discover your breast implants or any other implants you may have (cheek, chin, butt).
When you first consider that another person will be able to see your implants, you may find the whole idea a little unsettling. Plus, being human, not all TSA officers handle the situation with perfect sensitivity. One blog post on RealSelf (www.realself.com/blog/tsa-scanners-breast-implant) described the case of a mastectomy patient who was required to remove a prosthesis in order to do her job as a flight attendant.
So how can you make peace with this new airport security measure?
You might want to spend a few minutes on the TSA website, www.tsa.gov, and familiarize yourself with the new technology. One bit of information may be comforting—the TSA worker who views your image does not see you in person, and the worker who interacts with you in line does not see your image (they communicate through headsets). In other words, the viewing process is anonymous.
In addition, assuming no anomalies are found, your image is discarded right away. The TSA’s website asserts that “The image cannot be stored, transmitted or printed, and is deleted immediately once viewed.”
If you take a moment to browse www.tsa.gov, you can see some of the actual images TSA officers view with the new equipment. While they do reveal more than less advanced machines, the images produced by the two technologies in use today are at least somewhat fuzzy. “Pornographic” photos they are not.
You may wonder whether to inform a TSA worker that you have cosmetic implants prior to being scanned. The answer to this question isn’t clear at this point. In the words of the administration’s website, “It is recommended (but not required) that you advise the Security Officer that you have an implanted pacemaker, other implanted medical device, or metal implant and where that implant is located.” The website also suggests you ask the TSA worker to be discreet in screening you.
The consensus of the plastic surgeons who answer questions like this on sites like RealSelf centers around whether your implants have any metal parts. These doctors recommend you notify TSA workers if you have implants containing metal, such as a pacemaker, screws or plates in your bones, tissue expanders and so on. These will definitely show up on all scanning equipment and should be disclosed. And it’s not advisable to go through the scanning equipment with some types of medical implants (pacemakers, notably).
But if you have implants with no metal parts, such as breast implants, the physicians feel there’s no need to discuss them. If needed, they suggest, you may tell TSA workers you have “no implants with metal parts,” and that should suffice.
One of the RealSelf plastic surgeons reminds readers that TSA officials are very accustomed to seeing various devices inside the body, metal and otherwise, including catheters for chemotherapy, artificial joints of all kinds, shunts for water on the brain, and more. He says, “Realize they don't really care if you have had breast enhancement, they just don't want someone to sneak through with something harmful to you and your fellow passengers. Happy travels, now and always!”