CBS 4 News Miami: Alternatives to Breast Implants

Video Transcription

News anchor: Women who have had a mastectomy often choose not to have implants. There is an alternative to implants that is beneficial not only to recovering cancer patients, but any woman looking to increase her breast size. CBS 4's Cynthia Demos shows us the unique BRAVA lift and how it uses the patient's own fat to build up more natural breast.

Cynthia Demos: Staria Petersen had her first bout with breast cancer three decades ago and chose not to have implants.

Staria Petersen: Because I was afraid that it would come back again and if I had implants that there'd be no way to detect it. So that's why I went with nothing for 30 years.

Cynthia Demos: Petersen heard about an alternative to implants one Miami plastic surgeon, Roger Khouri, began offering to his patients. It's called the BRAVA lift.

Roger Khouri: We prepare the breast, whether it's a small breast or a lady who's lost a breast, we prepare the area with a device called the BRAVA.

Cynthia Demos: The BRAVA is a strange-looking, bra-like suction device women wear for several weeks.

Roger Khouri: It is a bra that puts a little suction on the breast. Gentle. Something that gradually over time stretches the tissue to create the space that we can now fill with fat.

Cynthia Demos: The fat comes from the patient's own body. There's no cutting, a quicker recovery, and the benefits don't end there.

Roger Khouri: They get their own breast tissue back. This feels like their own. They've got normal sensation. It looks natural. And they get a benefit of liposuction somewhere else at the same time.

Cynthia Demos: For years, Petersen struggled with clothing and not drawing attention to her breasts. Now, since having the BRAVA lift, she's grateful for her natural look.

Staria Petersen: They slope, like how somebody my age… I'm full all in here, which has made me very happy because I look like a normal person my age.

Cynthia Demos: Well, Petersen was so impressed with the procedure she told her daughter and granddaughter and they had it done also. It's cheaper than breast implants and doctors say safer since there's no surgery involved. For your health, I'm Cynthia Demos, CBS 4 News.