New Procedure Makes Bigger Breasts Without Implants

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Women who want bigger breasts without implants or scars now have another option, but it can take weeks to get the final results. Brava, invented by Dr. Roger Khouri of the Miami Breast Center, is a bra-like suctioning device used before and after fat injections into the breasts. Research done in this month's Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery showed Brava gave women larger results than fat injections alone. "They're large enough for my friends to notice, but they are also natural enough that I can deny it," said a 33-year-old patient who did not want her name revealed.

She wore the Brava daily for a total of three and half months."It has a little bit of suction," she said. "It just kinds of grabs onto the skin and stays there with a light type of pressure, like a little suction pressure."The Brava allows more fat, harvested from the patient during liposuction, to be injected into the breasts by expanding the breast tissue.

"In a small breast, there's no room to cram a lot of fat cells," said Khouri. "People historically have tried to stuff it and the capacity is not there. If you crowd them, they all die and you'll fail. The graft won't survive."

The Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery looked at 81 women ages 17 to 63. It said the 71 who were compliant with Brava wear saw larger breasts, higher fat graft survival and minimal complications.

"We wanted to prove that it actually works," said Khouri. "There's no reason not to do if you do it right."

Doctors say that women who want to see the tissue expansion should wear the suctions cups for ten hours a day for four weeks and then continuously for two days prior to the procedure. The cups also need to be worn 24 hours after the fat is injected.