new breast implants Measuring up

Every day, almost a thousand women in the United States surgically boost their breast size — making breast augmentation the most popular cosmetic-surgery procedure in the country. The practice is now so mainstream that college seniors get implants as graduation gifts and mothers get them after nursing their children. There are also thousands of breast-cancer survivors each year who choose to undergo reconstruction after a mastectomy. Half of American women say they know someone who has had breast implants, according to a poll by the National Women's Health Resource Center.

Breast augmentation is surgery, of course, and comes with risks, which can include unnatural-looking results, painful hardening of scar tissue, and reoperation. (Detailed information is at fda.gov and breastimplantsafety.org.) But for many women, the perceived rewards outweigh the possible complications, the price tag, and the eventual need for the implants' replacement. Indeed, studies show that about 95 percent of patients say they're satisfied with the results.

In the face of this robust demand, not to mention potential profit, doctors and manufacturers say they are developing ways of making going bigger better.

One such breakthrough in silicone implants is nicknamed “the gummy bears.” Now in clinical trials that could lead to FDA approval soon, these feature a highly cohesive silicone gel, which is formulated into a semisolid consistency. The thick filling holds the implant's shape consistently and poses minimal risk of migrating outside the shell if it ruptures, says Steven Teitelbaum, a plastic surgeon in Santa Monica.

Plastic surgeons are fine-tuning the augmentation procedure itself, too. A technique pioneered by John Tebbetts, a plastic surgeon in Dallas, takes 30 minutes, versus the standard 45 to 90 minutes, and the majority of his patients say they feel well enough to go out the same evening.

The method involves meticulous preoperative planning of size and delicate handling of tissues to reduce postoperative pain, Tebbetts says.

It is currently in limited use, however, and some doctors worry about its safety; patients who are too active soon after surgery might increase their risk of complications, cautions David Hidalgo, a plastic surgeon in New York City. (“Early activity causing complications depends on how the surgeon plans and executes the surgery,” Tebbetts says.)

Most surprisingly, the field of breast enlargement is not even confined to traditional saline- or silicone-implant surgery. Scientists in Australia recently announced a discovery that could lead to an entirely new approach. Their research suggests that it's possible to grow breast tissue gradually by stimulating fat cells. Human trials in mastectomy patients are scheduled to begin soon, and if the procedure is proven safe, growing breasts purely for cosmetic reasons might be feasible someday, the researchers say.

For better or worse, breast enhancement has become part of our culture. As the practice heads into its twelfth decade of existence, allure looks at the biggest news in breast augmentation.

Source: msnbc.msn.com