Breast Ironing: A Different Kind of Breast Procedure

Filed in archive Diagnostics on June 24, 2006

Breast Ironing: a different kind of breast procedure

While a lot of American women willingly go under the knife to enlarge their breasts, many young girls in Cameroon are undergoing "breast ironing" to make their breasts go away. According to the BBC News, breast ironing requires pounding and massaging a young girl's developing breasts with hot objects in an effort to make them disappear.

The article states that despite a nationwide campaign to discourage the practice, 26% of pubescent Cameroonian girls undergo breast ironing. Evidently, the girls' mothers believe that breast ironing helps protect their daughters from unwanted sexual advances from men or boys who think the girls are ready for sex once their breasts begin to show.

Wooden pestles, coconut shells, and heated bananas are the most common instruments used for the procedure. One woman quoted in the article described breast ironing as painful. Another woman said she ironed her breasts so that she wouldn't be forced into an early marriage and could keep attending school.

At this point, no medical research has been done to officially ascertain whether or not breast ironing is a dangerous practice, although girls who have had breast ironing done do have some protection under Cameroonian law. If a physician determines that the breasts have been damaged due to breast ironing, the person responsible for causing the damage can be incarcerated for up to three years.

About the author: In her spare time, knotheadus writes for Epinions.com and maintains her own Web site, knot-heads.com.