The History of Breast Augmentation: The Road to Today’s Safety

Many think that breast augmentation is something that began in the 1960’s at the earliest, but the first surgeries were actually performed in the 1890’s. Here is a brief history of the procedure, and how the mistakes of the past have led to the safety of modern times.

It may be difficult to imagine, but the very first breast augmentation surgeries were performed in the 1890s. Apparently, the desire of women to improve upon what nature gave them is nothing new, unfortunately for those nineteenth century ladies, safe medical practices are. It’s been a long road to our modern surgeries and safety procedures. Those early surgeries were done by injecting paraffin wax directly into the breasts. Unsurprisingly, the results were not fantastic, and infection was a widespread problem. Fatalities were not unusual.

Of course, demand did not disappear due to these setbacks, and when the practice of injecting paraffin was dropped, alternate methods were explored. The 1920s saw the rise of the next phase of breast augmentation. The use of paraffin wax was replaced with the use of the patient’s own fatty tissues. This was infinitely safer, but unfortunately, not very effective. The body would eventually reabsorbed the fat, leaving lumpy breasts and saggy skin in its wake.

The fifties and sixties saw some experimentation in what could be inserted or injected into the body for breast augmentation. First, doctors began implanting polyvinyl sponges into the breasts. These were ineffective because they would shrink and harden within a year. This was hardly the look women were aiming for, but more seriously, this method failed because the implants led to more infections. What’s worse, they were also linked with cancer.

In the sixties, doctors working on improving breast augmentation reached a real milestone in the form of silicone use. The material was injected into the breast and it was found to create a full and perky look. It was a huge step forward, but there were still plenty of problems ahead. The material being directly injected into the body, was free to move around. This led to lots of uneven bumps, constant inflammation, and infection.

In the eighties, the silicone was enclosed in a casing, and the march towards modern implants began. The early silicone implants were not without their problems. They had a tendency to contract or rupture, which of course led to more sickness for women. Eventually they were taken off of the market and there was a move to use saline filled implants. Improvements were made to the casing, but if they did rupture, the saline would have little impact on the woman’s health.

The past decade has seen the return of silicone, but in a new form, and with an amusing new name. “Gummy Bear,” implants have their name because their cohesive gel texture is somewhat akin to a gummy bear. These are very popular because they cannot leak and are very good at holding their shape. The feel is the most natural and lifelike of any implants so far.

Look and feel are one thing, and any woman considering breast augmentation will certainly be concerned with those factors, but the most important and remarkable improvements made in implant technology over the decades, are those in health and safety. Unlike 1890, a woman who is now looking to improve herself through surgery, can do so in the confidence that her health will not be compromised. Beauty may sometimes be pain, but it should never be illness.

Article Tags: Breast Augmentation

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