History of Breast Augmentation

Breast augmentation has become one of the most frequently performed cosmetic plastic surgeries. In 2000 alone, over 200,000 U.S. women had a breast augmentation for purely cosmetic purposes. The first surgical breast augmentation procedure was introduced in 1890. This breast augmentation, paraffin injections approach led to infections, hardening of the breasts, and lump formations in the breast. By 1920 the paraffin injection breast augmentation technique was totally abandoned.

Following the first attempt at surgical breast augmentation was the introduction of fat transplants in the 1920s. Fatty tissue was surgically removed from the abdomen and buttock area and transferred into the breasts. This breast augmentation procedure was also unsuccessful because the body would quickly reabsorb the fat, leaving the breasts in a lumpy, asymmetrical condition. The prominent scar that resulted at the removal site also made this breast augmentation approach undesirable, and it was no longer performed by the 1940s.

Japanese prostitutes began to use silicone shots during World War II for breast augmentation to supposedly lure American servicemen. By the early 1960s this breast augmentation procedure had become popular amongst topless dancers in the Las Vegas and San Francisco area. Soon after the surge of popularity with silicone shots came reports of serious complications in the mid-1960s. The breast augmentation complications included chronic inflammation, infections that can necessitate mastectomy, organ damage due to silicone migration, and tumor like lumps. Since this type of breast augmentation complications surfaced the procedure has been eliminated from mainstream, though it continues to be performed in underground circles.

In the 1950s, polyvinyl sponges began to be implanted into the breasts for breast augmentation. Different types of synthetic sponges were also available, but the initial satisfaction with this type of breast augmentation was very temporary. The breast implants were found to shrink and harden within a year, and the removal of the sponges disfigured some women and was impossible for others. Infections, inflamed tissue, and a link between this type of breast augmentation surgery and cancer began to surface.

The first silicone breast implant was developed in 1961. In 1963 this breast augmentation surgery began to be marketed and continual improvements were attempted for the thirty years that followed. The complications with silicone breast implants included capsular contracture and the solution to combat it was attempted by covering the implant with polyurethane foam in 1982. A decade later, after more than 100,000 U.S. women had gotten this type of breast augmentation, the FDA released a report that showed polyurethane foam can break down into the body and form a carcinogen. The manufacturer withdrew the implant and by the late 1980s the gel was found to lead out of the sac and into the body, raising safety concerns.

In 1995, Europe launched a trilucent breast implant, which was filled with fat from soybean oil. This was seen as a natural approach to breast augmentation, and about 9,000 women worldwide received this procedure before the 1999 withdrawal. This breast augmentation technique was found to contain filler that could become toxic in the body as it breaks down. This type of breast augmentation surgery was never approved in the U.S.

In 1988, Dow Corning, one of the silicone breast implants largest manufacturer settled a class action lawsuit for $3.2 billion for 170,000 women. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine issued a 400-page report that concluded the silicone breast implants do not cause major illnesses, but the main concern with that type of breast augmentation surgery was the tendency for the implant to leak or rupture, leading to infections, hardening, and breast tissue scarring.

The FDA approved saline implants that had been on the market for years but had not yet received approval. There was a warning issued by the FDA regarding the alarmingly high rate the saline implants break at, requiring additional breast augmentation surgeries. Most recently, in 2001, the Brava Breast Enhancement and Shaping System hit the market. This is a bra-like device with two hard plastic domes ringed with silicone that sucks the air out of the domes and creates a vacuum that is supposed to induce the breast tissue to grow about one cup size. This new type of breast augmentation must be worn for 10 hours a day for months.

To find out your breast augmentation options, click here to find a board certified breast augmentation surgeon.

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