79%

946 reviews

Worth It Rating Our index shows the percentage of community members saying this was "Worth it". See cosmetic treatment rankings

Breast Implants Cost ≈ $6,600 average cost

Write a review | Ask a Question

Breast Enhancement Options

i am not sure i should get breast implants. it scares me to get plastic surgery. i want to know: what are the non-surgical ways to enhance my bust? are there natural remedies to breast enlargement?

Tags:

alternative enhancement options

An honest appraisal of alternatives to breast augmentation using implants

There are three main alternatives to breast augmentation using implants: Pills and creams. There are a large number of hormonal and homeopathic pills and creams that promise breast enhancement, but little existing proof of their effectiveness. The Brava breast enhancement system. Brava is a noninvasive treatment that involves wearing a special brassiere-type device for at least ten hours a day for ten weeks or more. Studies have shown a modest increase in bust size (about 1 cup size) after... more

Larry Fan, MD

San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

Alternatives to breast augmentation

There have been a number of creams, both hormonal and homeopathic, that promise breast enlargement without verifiable results. The Brava system has been used as well, but has been inconsistent. Fat injections seem to be gaining popularity, as many plastic surgeons have used fat injections to help breast reconstruction patients with minor, and major, defects of the breast. There are surgeons who take four to seven hours to do one round of fat augmentation, that can usually only increase... more

Doctor's Website

Dan Mills, MD

Orange County Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

The main alternatives to breast augmentation...

The main alternatives to breast augmentation include: Bra padding BRAVA external breast augmentation system Fat injections to the breast The BRAVA system was invented by a plastic surgeon, Dr. Roger Khouri. The BRAVA uses an external suction device that looks like a large bra to create engorgement in the breast tissue and new breast tissue growth. This device has to be used for several weeks to months for at least 12 hours a day. Results that I have seen presented were mild at best and... more

Kent V. Hasen, MD

Naples Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

There are no pills, topical creams, injections or other...

There are no pills, topical creams, injections or other non-surgical procedures that serve as alternatives to breast augmentation. Without surgical placement of a breast implant, there are no other options to achieve more fullness or better shape of your breasts. Fat injections and hyaluronic acid injections to augment the breast a small amount have been described recently but are not widely accepted or recommended at this time in the plastic surgery world. This is because we don't know the... more

Jennifer Walden, MD

Austin Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

There are no natural "remedies" that I know of. There is on

There are no natural "remedies" that I know of. There is only one non-invasive way to possible enlarge the breasts by about 150cc's. This is using the Brava system, which is basically a suction cup device that is placed on the chest to recruit adjoining skin ans tissue. This requires several hours of wearing each night for many weeks. To put it in perspective, most patients I treat want an average of 250-500 cc implants in each breast.

Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Not really. Pills, lotions and potions don't work and...

Not really. Pills, lotions and potions don't work and actually maybe dangerous. Some of them maybe based on hormonal products and therefore can really affect your health. Moreover, if there are ANY effects, these are only temporary. I tried, a few years ago, the BRAVA system but it really did not rise to the promise and we abandoned this idea. Fat injections can potentially cover breast cancer changes. Surgical breast augmentation remains the only reliable and safe way to predictably... more

Gregory Turowski, MD, PhD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

The only device on the market to nonsurgically enhance...

The only device on the market to nonsurgically enhance breasts is the BRAVA system. This has been shown in clinical trials to increase breast size by an average of 150cc or 1/2 to 1 cup size. The long term results are not yet known. The device is not meant to replace implants since it only gives a small increase in size but may work for women who are looking for a small increase in volume or for women who have had some deflation of their breasts after pregnancy/breastfeeding and are looking... more

Kim Meathrel, MD

Ontario Plastic Surgeon

Breast enlargement without implants

There have been many efforts to enhance the breasts without implants, none very successful. The old gym teacher exhorting her junior high class in pec exercises chanting something about "we must build our bust" comes to mind. Herbals, Brava, and fat injection are all out there. None does anything significant and the lipofilling is not yet considered a standard of care.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

No good alternatives to breast implants

Breast implants provide excellent, reproducible and safe results. There is no other procedure that can say the same. Breast augmentation with the patients own fat is a very exciting concept because it avoids the long term issues associated with implants and improves the area from which the fat is harvested. Having said that, only one cup size enlargement is possible and there are both cosmetic issues (irregular contours) and cancer issues (may interfere with mammography). The BRAVA device... more

Jeffrey Horowitz, MD

Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

NON-Surgical Breast Augmentation

The recurrent horror stories fed to us by the media deter a lot of women from having a Breast Augmentation. While Breast Augmentation, like ALL operations, has potential complications, the vast majority of women who had the operation would NOT willingly part with their implants. As regards NON-Surgical Breast Augmentation - For many years, many methods have been tried with mostly minimal success and major disappointment. You can still see a suction vacuum breast "augmentation"... more

Peter A. Aldea, MD

Memphis Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Alternatives to breast implants

Fat injection is an alternative technique. The problem is that it can cause micro calcification in the breast where it is injected. The radiologists say that they can tell the difference between that and the calcification caused by breast cancer. I do fat injection for revision of breast reconstruction especially in cases where the area was radiated. There is some evidence that the stem cells in the fat could revers some of the radiation changes. I don't like to experiment on patients. Once... more

Farhad Rafizadeh, MD

Morristown Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Alternative to breast implants

Breast implants are the best and safest option for now. Fat injections for breast augmentation are still in the experimental stage, so most of us don't recommend them. We're still evaluating the future surveillance implications on breast cancer after fat grafting for breast augmentation so I don't think this is such a good idea. Best Wishes, DoctorMeade

Ricardo A. Meade, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Non-surgical options to breast enhancement

As stated in many of the previous comments, Options for non-implant breast augmentation are: 1) Hormonal pills, supplements, creams. 2) Brava Breast Enhancement system. 3) Breast augmentation via lipoinjection. 4) Enhancing garments such as bras or inserts. However, surgical augmentation remains the mainstay of breast enlargement providing reliable, predicatable, relatively consistent and subastantial breast enhancement. Lipoinjection has recently been viewed as an option, yet concerns with... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

There is no free lunch in breast augmentation

There are many pills, devices, and creams available that all claim to increase your breast volume. There are no controlled studies showing that any of these products work. There is one product called the Brava System that has shown a VERY modest increase in breast volume. It involves wearing a suction apparatus on your breasts 8 to 10 hours a day WITHOUT INTERRUPTION for 6 weeks at least. It is large and cumbersome, and impossible to hide under your clothes. We tried them in my practice... more

Robert Steely, MD

Houston Plastic Surgeon

While there are a number of alternative methods for...

While there are a number of alternative methods for augmenting the size of your breasts, none are truly as effective as the use of a breast implant. Fat injections have been used for years to plump up facial lines and wrinkles and shape facial contour but have never really caught on for breast enhancement. The problem is that fat is relatively unreliable in how long it lasts. In addition, the amount of fat required to effectively increase your cup size is dramatic. The BRAVA device has also... more

Gregory A. Buford, MD

Denver Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Nonsurgical options for breast enhancement

Fat grafting - can give excellent results. At this point experimental. Considerations of breast cancer and breast cancer detection are the major hurdles. Brava - this is an external device that is worn at night that has been shown to increase breast size. The results are have not been sustained over time (unless combined with fat grafting) Breast enhancement pills/ creams - Great in theory. If it really worked don't you think you would know someone... more

York Jay Yates, MD

Salt Lake City Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Non-Surgical Breast Enlargement

There are few practical alternatives to breast implants or surgical breast augmentation. An external vacuum device (BRAVA) has been available and some women have seen small enhancements (~1/2cup size). The device is a bit cumbersome and has to be used regularly to achieve the change and for maintenance. Recently there has been some renewed interest in fat grafting of the breast. Your own body fat is suctioned usually from the tummy or thigh It is injected into your... more

Doctor's Website

Paul C. Zwiebel, MD

Denver Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Non-surgical breast enlargement

There is a cumbersome device that you can wear on your breasts for months that will slightly enlarge your breasts. I do not know anyone who recommends this. I very strongly advise agains fat or silicone injections. Have implants or do nothing.

Howard T. Bellin, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Alternatives to breast implants

At the time of this writing, there are really no good alternatives to getting the some type of results that one would get with breast implants. Some alternatives include: Fat injections: There is a renewed interest in this technique. In the past it was fraught with calcification of the fat that was read out as suspicious by radiologists. Women had biopsies and worse because of this. there is also fat necrosis, cyst development and other possible... more

Jeffrey Roth, MD

Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

No good implant alternative to get same results

There really is not an alternative to implants that will give you the same results, or anything remotely close to the results of surgery. The application of the BRAVA bra has been shown to enlarge breast size very slightly—at least temporarily. It applies a vacuum force to the breast with some limited success. Also, as you probably are aware, hormone manipulation in some people will create breast growth but in many other people, it is not successful. There's been some interest in fat... more

Deason Dunagan, MD

Huntsville Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

No reliable natural alternatives to enlarge the breasts exist

I have performed breast augmentation with implants hundreds of times over the last 15 years and it is a very safe effective alternative for enlarging the breasts. Usually patients are "scared" of surgery for the wrong reasons. The pain is limited to about two days of soreness which can be treated with pain medications. Today's anesthesia is both safe and effective and the results are natural in appearance if you choose an implant of reasonable size. Down time is limited... more

Doctor's Website

David L. Mobley, MD

Sarasota Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Non-Surgical Breast Enlargement

The only non-surgical method for breast enlargement is the BRAVA system. This is a suction system that is worn for many hours a day for several weeks. It will give a slight increase in breast size. We used to offer this system in my practice, but patients found it difficult to adhere to the treatment plan and were disappointed in the results. However, if you definitely do not want surgery, this may be right for you. DEFINITELY stay away from the oral supplements offered on the internet.... more

Bruce Genter, MD

Abington Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Alternatives to breast implants

If your breasts are drooping, a breast lift may give you the ILLUSION that your breasts are a little larger becasue the same amount of volume is now redistributed into a smaller skin envelope.If you arelooking for a volume increase, there is no reasonable alternative.

Doctor's Website

Mark D. Epstein, MD

Stony Brook Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

There's little real world alternatives for breast implants

The discussion about doing large volume fat grafting (with or without BRAVA prior) is kind of silly at this point. It is not clear that it is reproducible or practical to attempt fat grafting of large volumes. People promoting that at this point are out of the mainstream and offering more then you can deliver in terms or precision or safety.

Robert Oliver Jr., MD

Birmingham Plastic Surgeon

Breast augmentation without implants

The only non-implant breast augmentation procedures are the BRAVA system, fat transfer, and autologous breast augmentation with flaps. The BRAVA system is essentially a suction device placed on the breasts to encourage "growth" of the breasts. The results can be enhanced with fat transfer (removal of fat from one part of the body and injected into the breasts). Results are not typically dramatic, however a modest improvement in breast size can be obtained. Straight fat... more

Doctor's Website