History of the Breast Implant

You may hear many horror stories in the news and on television about breast augmentation surgeries going horribly wrong. Though rarely this does occur, research and development in the field of plastic surgery continues to advance. By looking at the history of breast augmentation, you can see just how far surgeons have come, since the invention of the technique.

The earliest recorded breast augmentation was performed by Vencenz Czerny, an Austrian-German surgeon, who transferred some of his patient’s own fat tissue- from a benign tumor into her breast in 1895. This technique is actually still in common use today, but the fat tissue is removed from other parts of the body, such as the stomach, thighs or buttocks.

Other historical implants included some of the following materials:

• Ivory
• Glass Balls
• Ground Rubber
• Ox Cartilage
• Polyester Sponge

Today, surgeons use saline, silicone or the patient’s own tissue to complete the surgery. There are still risks involved- as with any surgical procedure, but the field of plastic surgery has come a long way since 1895. If you are interested in a breast augmentation procedure, contact a plastic surgeon today to discuss your options.