Attempts to improve the look of the breast by augmentation its size and shape date back to the late 1880's. Women in the 1800's, as they are still today, felt that they were inadequate and less attractive with smaller breasts. This development changed that feeling of inadequacy leaving women feeling much more confidant in their bodies. Originally this idea was simply to improve the body aesthetically, but over the years this development has become a way to make women feel younger inside and out. Among the materials inserted in breasts early on were ivory, glass balls, ground rubber, ox cartilage, and sponges, sacs and tapes made from various synthetic substances. Later came rubber, Teflon and silicone.
The first surgical breast augmentation procedure was introduced in 1890. This augementation used paraffin injections which led to infections, hardening of the breasts and lump formations in the breast. By the year 1920 the paraffin injection way of breast augmentation was completely abolished. After poor experience with the first technique of breast augmentation, the idea of fat transplants came into play during the late 1920's. Fatty tissue was removed from the abdomen and buttock area and transferred into the breasts. The procedure was also quite unseccessful because the body would quickly reabsorb the fat cells which would leave the breasts in a lumpy, asymmetrical condition. The extrusive scar that resulted at the removal site, also made this breast augmentation approach undesireable. This method was no longer performed by the 1940's.
In the 1950's, polyvinyl sponges began to be implanted into the breasts as another practice. There were different types of synthetic sponges that were also available, but the initial satisfaction with this type of breast augmentation was very temporary. The implants were found to shrink in size and harden within a year of placement. The removal of the sponges disfigured some women and became an impossibility for others. There were many infections and imflamed tissue, and a link started to form between this type of breast augmentation surgery and cancer.
Japanese prostitutes began to use silicone shots during World War ll for breast augmentation. This was done supposedly to lure American servicemen. By the early 1960's this breast amplification method had become exceptionally popular amongst topless dancers in the Las Vegas and San Francisco area. Not too long after the surge of popularity that silicone shots brought, came reports of serious complications in the mid-1960's. These complications included chronic inflammation, infections that can coerce mastectomy, organ damage due to silicone migration, and tumor like lumps. Since these complications had occured due to the type of procedure it has been eliminated from mainstream, though it continues to be performed in underground circles.
The first silicone breast implant was developed in 1961. Two years following this procedure began to be marketed and continual improvements were attempted for the thirty years that followed. Industrial silicone fluid and medical-grade silicones were injected in to the breast by unlicensed practitioners sometimes in incredible amounts. These methods caused pain, discoloration, ulceration, infection, embolism, and even come and death in some cases. The complications with silicone breast implants included capsular contracture . The frequency of capsular contracture with pre-silsicone implants may have reached 100%. Between 12.000 and 40,000 women received breast injections in Las Vegas before this procedure was declared a felony under the Nevada State Law in 1976. The solution to combat it was attempted by covering the implant with polyurethane in 1982. About a decade later, after more than 100,000 women in the United States with this type of augementaion, the FDA released a report that showed polyurethane foam can break down into the body and form a carcinogen. The manufacturer quickly withdrew the implant and by the late 1980's the gel was found to leak out of the sac and into the body, raising many safety concerns.
In 1995, Europe launched a trilucent breast implant, which was filled with fat from soybean oil. This was considered the natural approach to breast augmentation, and about 9,000 women worldwide received this form of procedure before it was withdrawn in 1999.The technique was found ot contain filler that could become toxic to in the body as it breaks down. This type of surgery was never approved in the United States.
During 1988, Dow Corning, one of the silicone breast implants largest manufacturers, 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 that silicone breast implants do not cause major illnesses, but the main concern with that type of breast augmentation surgery had the tendency for implant 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 alarmingky high rate that the saline implants break at, requiring additional breast surguries. Most recently, in 2001, the Brava Breast Enhancement and Shaping System hit the market. This bra-like device with two hard plastic domes ringec with silicone that sucks air out of the domes and creates a vacuum that is supposed to induce the breast tissue to gor w about one cup size. This new type of breast augmentation must be wonr for 10 hours a day for many months to fully work. The breast augmentation methods have evolved and varied significantly since their premiere, it is expected that new methods will continue to be studied. Today a man named Dow Corning is given the credit for the devlopment of the breast implant. There are now large Dow Corning Corporations that study and find new and innovative ways to create and fool-proof breast implant. More information on the Dow Corning corporations can be found at www.dowcorning.com
