Are There Natural Alternatives to Breast Implants?

The peg legs and hand hooks of pirate amputees have long been replaced by highly functional prosthetic limbs. No doubt that during the lifetimes of many people alive today, mankind will be able to construct an entire new leg out of a person's own tissues. Even more exciting would be to selectively turn on the DNA to regrow an entire new leg, just like a frog can do.

All cosmetic surgery patients and surgeons are excited about the possibilities of using a patient's own tissues to build up parts of their body, either to augment breasts, rejuvenate and tighten skin, or to replace the natural hollowing that occurs in the face with aging. But realize that those considerations should be secondary to the need to make a whole new breast for a woman that has lost it to cancer or a nose for someone who lost it to trauma.

Likewise, fixing spinal cord tissue in paraplegics, replacing brain cells in Parkinson's, and replacing pancreatic tissue in diabetics are the highest priorities for "tissue engineers." It is said that the person who figures this out will probably be richer than Bill Gates!

Everyone expects to see major advances in these areas in the coming years. No doubt, this is the future of plastic surgery. But it is not yet the present. For example, at the time of this writing, there are clinical trials involving small numbers of patients overseas using stem cells for breast augmentation. But this is very early and very preliminary; we need to know whether these stem cells can make new breast tissue without making that tissue susceptible to form cancers! This is a very serious issue. I make a big point of this, because there is a natural tendency of patients and some doctors to emphasize the positives of stem cell augmentation without also discussing the many sobering realities that must be dealt with.

The potential for stem cells to solve many medical problems is very exciting and one day such technology may be applied to cosmetic surgery. Unfortunately, this is quite far into the future.
Fat injections are currently being used by some surgeons to augment the breast. It is not widely used because there are both cosmetic issues (asymmetry, rippling, small gain in size) and safety issues (may interfere with mammography). Once more experience is gained , this technique may one day make implants obsolete.
The Brava system uses suction cups to make breasts larger, but the gains are small and the long term effects on the breast tissue are unknown.
Breast implants are the most studied medical devices in history and have been shown to be safe and reliable. If you are interested in breast augmentation, perhaps a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon can allay your fears about the surgery.
Good Luck!

The most natural alternative to breast implants is using your own tissue. Currently that means a large donor site and large incision on your back or abdomen most commonly. Typically this involves significant costs, recovery, and downtime.
Although currently controversial, Europeans and recently 2 US physicians have begun to document the safety and practicality of fat injections to the breasts. Stay tuned and in the next 2-5 years, this may become a more realistic option.