What Is a 24-Hour Boob Job & Why Are People Talking About It?
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by Beauty Blogger Emmy Owens
It’s now possible that an enchanted evening can begin with breast enhancement earlier in the day. The “24-hour boob job” started turning heads after The New York Times featured the procedure in an article this summer, and it continues to generate interest among women considering breast augmentation.
The treatment works by injecting a saline solution into the breasts that gets absorbed within 24 hours. It is an attractive idea, some say, because a woman can “test-drive” larger breasts without making the commitment to undergo surgery for breast implants. But that’s not the only reason some patients are asking about non-surgical breast augmentation.
As reported by The Times, “It may not surprise that the injections were soon being requested as pick-me-ups for parties, weddings, bar mitzvahs, red-carpet events or … a tropical vacation.”
Temporary breast enlargement seems harmless enough, although the dent in your pocketbook is a little longer-lasting at about $3,500 for the injections. Saline injections aren’t the only non-surgical method of breast augmentation being used. European plastic surgeons also have offered fillers, similar to those used for facial rejuvenation, but thicker. The results can last a year or more, but the treatment isn’t offered in the U.S., where the FDA has never approved fillers for breast augmentation. Most plastic surgeons consider such a treatment too risky.
Fat transfer breast augmentation, however, is gaining more popularity among patients and surgeons alike as a breast enhancement procedure that doesn’t require breast implants. Las Vegas plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Edwards’ website says fat grafting can be “an excellent alternative for suitable patients, although there are some limitations. Fat grafting without implants is usually only an option for women who want a more modest increase in the size of their breasts.”
Fat grafting is often combined with breast implants to camouflage the implants’ edges and get results that feel and look more natural, especially when the implants are placed above the pectoral muscle.
The Times reporter asked Dr. Edwards about temporary breast augmentation using saline injections. He advised patients they should think about the long-term implications of getting the saline injections.
“I can’t see that there’s a huge harm in it, but you’re stretching the skin out,” he tells The Times. “You’re altering the architecture of the breast. I would be concerned that you would be taking away some intrinsic support in the breast.”
Women who want to see what they might look like with augmented breasts don’t need to get expensive saline injections. Many plastic surgery practices now have 3-D imaging devices, such as the VECTRA® system, that give patients a 3-dimensional preview of what their breasts may look like with implants. VECTRA is quickly replacing implant sizers and other low-tech ways of giving patients a glimpse of how they will look with implants.
A 3-D image created by VECTRA has been shown to be a fairly accurate gauge of projected outcomes, according to a study published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal. The study found that 3-D imaging was more than 90% accurate in predicting postoperative breast volume and surface contour.
Your Opinion?
Emmy Owens
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