Bigger or firmer? Western women agonize a lot about their breasts. Size, firmness, location, everything is a matter of concern.
Predictably they prefer non-surgical routes. Newspapers are coming out with guides on all the options available, from Botox to electrical acupuncture.A noted dermatologist of the UK thinks Botox is an under-utilised treatment. “It works in the same way as it does on the forehead; you paralyse the pectoralis minor muscles beneath the breasts. By weakening them, the major muscles will automatically raise and your breasts will get a lift,” Dr Patricia Wexler says.
"Every muscle has a yin and yang: when one is damaged, the stronger one will over-compensate. If you’re planning to wear a fabulous gown and cannot wear a bra with it, this makes a huge difference. You get a dramatic result," Wexler adds.
The treatment can be done on breasts of every size and lasts three to four months. Botox boob jobs don’t come cheap, costing around £1,000 for both breasts, but there are no scars, virtually no pain and no recovery time.
But this is not something to go into lightly - research shows Botox has been known to migrate to other parts of the body and has even been found in brain tissue.
Said to be the biggest breakthrough since Botox, carboxy therapy can eradicate wrinkles and stretch marks on your décolletage and take years off your skin.
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Carbon dioxide is injected just under the surface of the skin using a fine needle. Enthusiasts say the extra oxygen between cells stimulates the production of collagen.
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Patients noted an improvement in the appearance of their cleavage. Fine lines vanished and skin looked smooth and youthful.
Celebrities are now trying to improve their bust lines with regular sessions of electrical acupuncture at the Breathe salon in Los Angeles, UK’s Daily Mail says.
For 16 half-hour treatments, needles are inserted into your breasts to transfer pulsations from an electrical current.
By stimulating the swelling of collagen and fatty tissue, practitioners claim you can increase breasts up to one cup size. The technique causes no scars and can last anything from six months to forever.
However, unlike with implants, you can’t predict the exact size to which your breasts will "bloom".
Daniel Maxwell, a member of the British Acupuncture Council, says it just might work: "Although we have not yet tried this on breast tissue, we have been using this technology to do facial revitalisation - sagging wrinkles, eye bags, that sort of thing - with good results."
Autologous Fat Transfer (ATF) is a kind of "reverse-liposuction", adding fat to the breast.
With very small liposuction instruments, fat is harvested from either the abdomen or buttocks. The fat is then "cleaned" so blood and other impurities are removed.
The pure version of the patients’ own fat is then injected into the breasts. These "fat grafts" have about a 30 per cent retention rate, so the procedure has to be repeated every few months.
Medical practitioner Alice Frankston of New York Aesthetic Consultants has performed the procedure and says that patients liked the results but wanted it to last longer.
"It could last as little as three months," she says. "Your body re-absorbs the fat that’s injected and therefore only about 30 per cent of it will stay, so it takes multiple procedures.
But Frankston also cautions: "If the injected fat calcifies (hardens), it can lead to fat necrosis, or the formation of dead tissue around the injected area, which may cause lumps that could be read as cancerous on mammogram results.
"Ironically, the more biopsies you have, the more chance you have of developing cancer. The downsides far exceed the upside. We don’t encourage people to do it."
Macrolane is an injectable filler - known as "the Boob Jab" - that allows doctors to re-sculpt, restore lost volume, contour and shape the breast. Makers claim it can even make you a cup size bigger.
Aesthetic doctor Grant Hamlet of the Mill House Clinic is one of a handful of UK doctors offering this procedure.
He says: "It’s done under a local anaesthetic - a tiny incision is all that’s needed.
"We place the product into the actual breast under breast tissue but above the muscle, where an implant would go. You need a tune-up about three to four weeks later, but that’s it.
"The filler is made of Hyaluronic acid, which mimics a natural substance in the body. It lasts about 18 months and the average price is £2,900."
Cosmetic surgeon Rajiv Grove of the Court House Clinics says: "This is not a replacement for breast implants, as the size of the breast is not dramatically altered, but it can reshape and lift the breasts for a more youthful appearance."
Makers claim that as the Macrolane filler is specifically formulated for the breast, the product will not migrate or cause any concerns with the breast tissue.
Celebrities have been at cleavage facial too for a long time. You can’t get an appointment in Los Angeles during Oscars season because so many actresses are getting facials not on their face, but on their décolletages.
In the UK there is something called Rose Treatment.
Founder and director Shula Starkey admits: "This area is one that women tend to neglect until it’s too late. I wanted something to help me in this area, so I created this. This is what I use for myself."
The rose oil-based treatment smoothes wrinkles, heals rough, damaged skin and includes a gentle exfoliation. A soothing massage around your décolletage also improves lymphatic drainage around the area, leaving your cleavage looking delectable. Our tester loved hers and saw a difference immediately.
There are also breast enhancement pills on sale. More innovations could be on the way.
Source-Medindia
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