Breast augmentation: an extra cup size without surgery
Increasing your breast size without surgery is now possible! Hyaluronic acid, used for years in cosmetic surgery and medicine, could well be an alternative to breast implants. Cosmetic surgeon Isabelle Sarfati tells us all about this relatively new technique.
Doctissimo: What do we know about this technique?
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Isabelle Sarfati: Hyaluronic acid has been used for years in cosmetic medicine for the face, eyes, in the knee, etc. It is quite widely used. In Sweden, thousands of patients have already received hyaluronic acid injections to increase breast size as well as 30,000 in Japan. In many countries, the product is still under evaluation to determine its specific characteristics and understand how it evolves, but it does have the CE stamp of approval. It's important to prove that the product does not inhibit breast cancer screening and doesn't impact the number of breast cancer cases.
Doctissimo: What happens during a breast enhancement injection procedure?
Isabelle Sarfati: The procedure is carried out in a doctor's surgery, under local anaesthetic; the session lasts about one hour. The patient can leave immediately afterwards. In tangible terms, it means making a mini-incision, 2 millimetres long, in the groove under the breast. The product is injected between the mammary gland and muscle so as not to introduce a foreign substance into the mammary gland.
Doctissimo: Why use hyaluronic acid for breast enhancements?
Isabelle Sarfati: Hyaluronic acid can be used to produce customised breast enhancements. You do not need general anaesthetic or hospitalisation and therefore no leave of absence from work. The result can easily be adjusted by re-injecting more of the product or removing some later on. The result is also more natural looking, but it is important to know that the product is resorptive (can be re-absorbed by the body).
Doctissimo: How often do you require injections?
Isabelle Sarfati: Hyaluronic acid is a resorptive substance found in identical quantities in all animal species. On average, the first injection's effects last a year. Injections therefore need to be renewed every year, but in smaller doses. The year after the first injection, another is injected using half the dose and another a year after that with 25% of the initial dose.
Doctissimo: Is it risky to increase your breast size that often?
Isabelle Sarfati: I don't think so, but we lack hindsight on this subject.
Doctissimo: What contraindications are there to hyaluronic acid injections?
Isabelle Sarfati: This is one of the reasons, amongst others, why the product is currently under evaluation. What we do know at present is that there are almost no contraindications for hyaluronic acid injections to the face.
Doctissimo: What undesirable effects are there? How long is it before a patient can return to work or take up sport again?
Isabelle Sarfati: There are very few undesirable effects: 48 hours rest is recommended after the injections. The patient can feel some discomfort just after, but it is neither long-lasting nor incapacitating.
Doctissimo: What do you recommend to patients before an injection?
Isabelle Sarfati: We do not make any particular recommendations apart from avoiding aspirin-based medication. There is no skin test either as hyaluronic acid, already used for many years and known in the profession, causes very few allergenic reactions.
Doctissimo: How much does a breast enhancement injection cost on average?
Isabelle Sarfati: About £3,000 for the initial breast augmentation and £1,500 for each annual top up, in the UK.
Doctissimo: How big a breast increase can patients expect?
Isabelle Sarfati: For the time being, a moderate increase. You can gain a maximum of a cup size with these injections. But what most attracts patients is the total absence of general anaesthetic. And also the fact they can really customise their breast augmentation. Because the increase is not in single units, it looks more natural. Finall
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Posted 30.06.2010
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