In the 1950s, the busty silhouettes of superstar icons like Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell inspired many women to stuff their bras for a curvier look. Oh, how times have changed. In 2015, a total of 305,856 women underwent breast augmentation for a permanent solution to a bigger cup size. How did breast augmentation go from nonexistent to the second most popular cosmetic procedure in such a short time? A brief history of breast implants gives us a glimpse as to how far we’ve come.
Early experimentation with breast implants
Breast implants weren’t always as advanced as they are today. The earliest medical report of a breast augmentation surgery happened 120 years ago, and the methods and materials used weren’t exactly what you’d call sophisticated. In 1895, a German-Bohemian surgeon named Dr. Vincenz Czerny operated on a 41-year-old singer who wanted to restore symmetry to her breasts after having a tumor removed. As luck would have it, the patient had another fatty tumor in her lower back that happened to be the perfect size to fill the space in her breast.
Though the transfer was unsuccessful, the experiment got other doctors interested in trying different techniques for breast augmentation. Between the 1890s and 1960, surgeons tried everything from paraffin injections, to alcohol sponges, to glass balls to increase a woman’s breast size – and each failed miserably. The paraffin leaked into other parts of the body, the sponges shrank and became as hard as baseballs, and the glass balls – well, that’s just self-explanatory.
The post-war fascination with plastic
It wasn’t until the early 1960s, when silicone- and saline-filled implants were introduced, that there was real progress on the breast augmentation frontier. Silicone was first used for breast enlargement in Japan, where doctors experimented with injecting the material directly into a woman’s breasts. Unfortunately, this method had unpleasant side effects, including gangrene around the injection site. The U.S. avoided this hitch when two American plastic surgeons, Thomas Cronin and Frank Gerow, came up with a plan for a new type of breast implant.
Mid-century breast implant methods
The idea for a silicone-filled implant came to Frank Gerow in 1961 after he squeezed a blood bag and remarked at how much it felt like a woman’s breast. This “a-ha!” moment led the two surgeons to fill a teardrop-shaped prosthesis with silicone gel, which they planned to implant surgically. Their guinea pig for the operation wasn’t a human, but a dog named Esmerelda.
The implant was inserted under Esmerelda’s skin and left for a couple of weeks. Eventually, the dog began biting at her stitches and the implant had to be removed. Alas, the operation was deemed a success and Cronin and Gerow began looking for women to experiment on. In the spring of 1962, Timmie Jean Lindsey became the first person in the world to receive breast augmentation with silicone implants. In 1964, doctors used saline implants for the first time. These two materials are still used today to help women achieve the fuller, larger breasts they desire.
Modern day breast implants
There have been a number of advancements in breast augmentation technology over the last several decades, including 3D imaging and rupture-proof implants. Not to mention, women today have a lot more choices when it comes to size. In the early days, patients only had large, medium, small, and petite to choose from. Now, breast augmentation candidates have over 450 options, allowing them to create the hourglass figure they wish for.
Are you considering breast implants?
At San Diego Body Contouring, Dr. Sarosy offers both silicone and saline breast implants to help you achieve the body of your dreams. With over 17 years of experience in cosmetic surgery and thousands of successful procedures completed, Dr. Sarosy can help you choose the most appropriate implant and method for your body contouring goals.
Give us a call to schedule your free breast augmentation consultation today.
