Introduction
In the last decade or so, medicine has seen a decrease in people who believe in it. Contrary to the fact that we live in an overdeveloped world with everything at our disposal with just one finger swipe, people have started doubting the very core of our civilization, and that is science in all its forms. Medicine has progressed so much and is still doing so that we have a very good chance to be able to eradicate the most awful diseases in the near future. Still, people are turning their face from it by refusing to get vaccinated or to receive treatment of any kind. Therefore, people will try herbal supplements or sun therapies or whatever else is out there, rather than use established methods for health or cosmetic issues.
The myth of nutritional supplements
That is how the myth of growing breasts has appeared. Women have advertised natural products meant to make your breasts grow, either as pills, teas or creams. There are even things like drinking two liters of water per day or massaging your breasts daily, eating only green vegetables, and so on.
Therefore, it is almost natural that in the last decade, a new wave of alternative medicine has grown in success. That kind of medicine, much like the old healers of medieval times, recommend the use of herbs and vegetables or fruits for everything, from heart disease to cancer or from growing more hair to having bigger breasts. Behind this new “medicine,” there is also the pharma industry, but their products are not medicine or drugs but nutritional supplements. Most are rather expensive, but they do not have certification from the regular medical board. While a medicine produced by pharma needs to pass a whole process of evaluation, supplements are only required to have all ingredients listed, and all these need to be plant-based.
A myriad of breast enlargement supplements has appeared over time. Amongst those, the most known and common are phytoestrogens. These are plant-based supplements made from plants that contain a high level of estrogen, which is the female hormone. Amongst this, we can count soy, fennel, flaxseed, hops, red clover, sesame seeds, tempeh, oats, barley, yams, etc. Apart from phytoestrogens, there are other supplements advertised to help your breasts grow, such as those that contain black cohosh, motherwort, damiana, Palmetto, etc. There is no study or scientific research that proves these herbs are able to make your breasts grow. Even further, the use of phytoestrogens, especially in women that are pre-menopausal, can inhibit the production of natural estrogen and work as an endocrine inhibitor causing a myriad of health issues. To add to all this information is the fact that Canada has recently ordered research into those nutritional supplements and found that many of them had ingredients not listed on their label.
The same applies to creams or ointments or oils. There is no medical or scientific study that shows that any of these alternative products are effective in any way and they might even be detrimental to your general health. Since such supplements, no matter their form (pills, ointments, creams, etc.) do not go through an extensive study such as classical pharma products, not only that they do not work, but there isn’t enough data to establish what their effects can be in the long-term.
Short-lived results with BRAVA breast enhancement and shaping system
This is a new technology that promises to help you get your breasts enhanced. Its main advantage is that, if used properly, won’t cause you any health issues. It is an expensive device, and it is quite cumbersome. It is made of two silicone rims and a minicomputer in the form of a special sports bra. It applies suction, causing a continuous pressure to both your breasts to make the breast tissue expand. This device should be worn 12 hours a day for 10 weeks, and again, there is no evidence that it works. If you have the nerves to wear it constantly, it might enlarge your breasts but only slightly. You will not be able to go from A to B in 10 weeks, that is for sure. The issue is that studies have shown that this enlargement effect does not last, so unless you want to sleep with BRAVA forever, it is not an alternative solution to enhance your breasts.
Fat grafting
This method of breast enhancement is not gibberish. It is a medical procedure, performed by an experienced and certified plastic surgeon. It is a somewhat new method, and it was first used to repair failed breast augmentations done with implants or for breast reconstruction. It is lately growing in popularity due to two important factors: no actual incision is necessary, and it is an absolute natural procedure. This method extracts fat from some part of your body via liposuction in problematic areas like the tummy, thighs or bottom, and then it injects it into your breasts. The breasts are numbed using a local anesthetic, and both the extracting and the injection is made with a special needle, so there is no incision necessary.
The fat that is taken from you is filtered to remove impurities and only then injected in your breast. Since fat is a natural compound of breasts, this method is not only very natural, but it will also have the best feel since it will be like a real breast.
This method can only be done for those that want a small increase in their breasts because you can only enhance them by maximum one cup, usually less. Some of the injected fat will be absorbed by your body, usually somewhere around 30% of it. If the percentage is higher, then you might need a new session of injections. In order to survive, fat cells need oxygen, and for this, the previous use of the aforementioned BRAVA devices has been found very efficient. The tissue is expanded, and the expanded space is filled with the injected fat. The device needs to be used 4 weeks before the surgery and then one more week after.
This procedure comes with its own risks: calcification, fat necrosis, the formation of fatty masses also called cystic lesions, etc. Due to its use as an enhancement method for a very short time in comparison to breast implants, there is not enough data to foresee any long-term issues. Some say that the injection of fat-derived stem cells is a potential trigger for cancerous cells developing. It is also important to say that such a procedure, which practically involves a complex number of steps to be performed, is more expensive than the classical method of breast augmentation with implants.
Breast augmentation with implants
Probably one of the most controversial and discussed methods of breast enlargement is the one that involves implants. Even if people want it or fear it, this is the best method to enhance your breasts. It works, and it gives you choices in terms of size, type, etc.
There are two possible types of implants that you can use: saline or silicone. Saline implants are made of a silicone shell and are filled with sterile saline water. This is kind of the same substance used to hydrate patients in hospitals, so you can say it is natural. These implants might come deflated so the incision made by the surgeon might be smaller, and they are filled in after being inserted in the implant pocket. They have a shorter lifetime than silicone implants, but they have the advantage that if they rupture, the patient will immediately realize it because the affected breast will look deflated. One of the most important downsides of this implant is the fact that it does not have the same consistency as a real breast, and some say it even makes a watery sound.
A silicone implant is made of a silicone shell and is filled with a cohesive silicone substance. They come in various sizes and shapes and even various profiles (the distance from your chest). These implants have a lifetime of 10 to 15 years as recommended by the FDA, but experience shows that they can last as much as 20 to 25 years. The way the silicone is designed allows them to not only have a very natural look but also feel like natural breasts. The problem that they usually pose is the fact that they might suffer a “silent” rupture. That means that they might break and you will not be able to notice, and this might lead to some potential risks. That is why the FDA recommends close monitoring with MRI every two years.
Medicine has advanced so much today that saline implants are now made in layers and water fills each level, avoiding the strange feel of water. Silicone implants are made of such a cohesive silicone that even if they suffer rupture, they will keep their shape and prevent leaking inside your body.
Conclusion
Even though breast augmentation with implants supposes surgery, it is probably still the safest procedure known to enlarge your breasts. It guarantees the result, and it has enough material and research to back-up any possible complication or risk. Effects in the long-run are already known, and the companies that manufacture them are developing the best natural and non-allergenic materials to ensure a better life for those wearing them. Medicine has developed so much that such surgery has become routine for some surgeons.