I just got a note from a friend who sent me a link.
“Nonsurgical breast augmentation. No downtime!”
So I clicked.
What it showed was a woman with a beautiful breasts (no before and after, and likely a stock photo) and then said you can fill the breast with HA (hyaluronic acid) fillers. It stated that it lasts 18-24 months and “cost varies.”
Argh. I told my friend that a super small breast augmentation is 150cc. Breast implants can range up to 400cc in my practice.
A typical breast augmentation breast implant size in my practice is likely in the 250-350 range.
A syringe of HA filler is 1cc. So are they doing 150 syringes? At $800 a syringe, that is ridiculous. I can’t imagine that is what they are doing.They state the filler augmentation lasts 18-24 months.
Most HA fillers last 6 months, some can last up to a year. What HA filler are they using that lasts that long? Some of the fillers may state they last that long, like Voluma or RH4, but in reality I always find they last less. There are individual outliers which last longer, but those are rare.This “noninvasive no downtime breast augmentation” using fillers reminds me of “noninvasive no downtime fillers to the buttocks” where Sculptra injections are placed into the buttocks. Sculptra is likely a better filler for large volumes than HA fillers, as it is able to give bigger volumes and last longer. But when they do Sculptra in the buttocks, it lasts for 18-24 months and requires a ton to do it, so costs are in the thousands ($8K). NOTE: I would never inject Sculptra into the breast- it works by “stimulating collagen”- that collagen being scar. I cannot imagine what would happen to the mammograms and MRIs to screen for breast cancer. I don’t do Sculptra into the buttock as it is so costly.
So.
I advised my friend if they want a breast enhancement, they should either do fat transfer to the breast (if the skin is loose and they have enough fat to harvest to transfer and want a small augmentation) OR they should just do a breast implant. Breast implants have gotten a bad reputation in the press, some of which is deserved. But if you have a good understanding of biofilm, breast implant illness, ways to minimize that risk, and what the other risks are, it is still a solid option.