Breast enlargement: surgery v’s non-surgical options
Thursday, March 22nd, 2007
O.K. ladies. Let’s be honest. Hands up who is perfectly happy with their breasts? Mmmmm thought so. I have yet to meet a woman who is totally satisfied with their size or shape and if you are? Lucky you!
So if you aren’t that happy with your lot and you want to do something about it what are your options?
Surgery
Breast enlargement, augmentation or enhancement is the number one type of surgery in the UK. Its intention is to increase the size and fullness of the breast. The procedure involves a silicone envelope being surgically implanted under the breast tissue. The implant sac may be filled with a silicone gel-like substance or a saline (salt water) solution.
Now that’s the science bit over, what about the results? Well, if you are after a bigger pair of assets then surgery is indisputably the most effective way of achieving this. As there is such a wide variety of implant designs it means that you can achieve the size, shape and feel you want, whether you want to go for a subtle, natural change, or something more obvious ala Jordan.
But is achieving your dream look that easy? Let’s start with price. A pair of breasts to make your friends green with envy is going to cost in the region of £4,000 to £7,000. This may seem a considerable amount to some of us but when you consider how happy and confident you will feel with the result the price may not seem as bad. There are also many financial incentives offered by companies now, such as interest free credit loans, which may make the cost a little more bearable. It is worth noting however, that price shouldn’t be your driving force and you should consider all the options before opting for surgery.
A greater concern for most women, however, is the risks behind surgery. Achieving great breasts isn’t going to be pain free nor totally free from risk, though relatively few women experience these. Possible risks may include implant rupture or leakage; implant shifting and painful hardening of the breast due to scar tissue. If you are serious about having a breast implantation then your surgeon should definitely talk to you about the possibility of such problems. There is also some concern over the reliability of mammograms, as the machines which are used may not always be able to ‘see’ past the implant.
How permanent are they? Recent research suggests that implants can last about 16 years so it is likely that you may have to undergo surgery at least once more during your life-time. If you are not happy with your new shape you can have them removed, although if you have had them for some time you may be left with a droopy shape and breasts that look like ‘spaniel ears’. A look that hasn’t made it into Vogue yet!
Recovery time is also a downside to surgery. When you go home you will be very sore, wrapped with gauze bandage and have drainage tubes placed in the incision. After several days these will be removed and you will have to wear a supportive, non-underwired bra for several more weeks after which the swelling will have gone down. However, any scars may take several months for the pinkness to reduce.
Non-Surgical Breast Enlargement
If after reading the above you have had tears brought to your eyes, but still want to enhance what Mother Nature gave you, then there are other options available. Just by doing a quick search on ‘Google’ you are open to a whole new world of different products that promise to be able to enhance your size naturally and safely. From breast pumps and breast enlarging machines to creams and herbal supplements one such Internet site had 116 different products that you could try. But do they actually work? I have to admit that I’m rather cynical and I haven’t found any evidence to suggest that anything other than surgery really works. Even if they did produce any results I should imagine that they are minimal and you will be spending most of your time thrusting your breasts in front of your boyfriend or best mate asking if they can see any difference.
One TV show I watched that featured a breast pump was life changing. That is for the poor girl who had to put suction on for 12 hours a day. Yes, this created swelling giving an illusion of size but as soon as the usage stopped they just reverted back to their normal size.
Failing the above, if surgery really isn’t for you and you don’t want to spend your money or time on some product that may or may not work, then you could always get yourself some chicken fillets and a push-up bra!
