History of Breast Implants

Curious about the origins of breast augmentation? Well, I can tell you we have come a long way! It was not until the 19th century’s invention of anesthesia that cosmetic surgery could even be considered for obvious reasons. By the way, the word cosmetic is from Greek kosmetikós, meaning “adornment.” Needless to say, people were hesitant enough to have surgery that was medically required without anesthesia, let alone cosmetic procedures. Back in the day anesthesia was still in its infancy and the rate of death from infection ranged from 13% to 85% and those percentages are based on surgeries that were critical to the patient’s life.

The very first attempt, at breast augmentation, was the most successful until late in the 20th century. The “father of cosmetic breast surgery” was Dr. Vincenz Czery, who back in the 19th century was the first to record a breast implantation.  He had performed a mastectomy for his patient with breast cancer. In order to repair the asymmetry, Dr. Czerny then removed a fat tumor (benign) from the patient and transferred it to her asymmetrical breast! A bit ahead of his time, his most important achievement was the recognition that surgery alone would not control cancer. Czerny then worked on ideas for multiple ways of controlling cancer. Czery’s contribution was certainly not based on cosmetics alone. It was a valiant attempt at breast augmentation, however, fat tends to be reabsorbed into the body, and other techniques were used.

Other attempts at breast augmentation included injections of paraffin during the late Victorian period.  It was a Dr. Gersuny who came up with the recipe of combining olive oil with paraffin to enhance the breast. This was not a lark, his theory was that the body would absorb the olive oil, and breast tissue would naturally cluster around the bits of paraffin. Unfortunately, much like illegal silicone injections today, this type of “enhancement” ended in disaster. It was not until several years later that the negative results were seen, and in the 1920s the term ” paraffinomas” was coined to describe these results in the medical books. The paraffin injection technique was used for about 15 years, from 1899 to 1914 when enough recognition and outrage about the dangerous symptoms came to light. Needless to say, the practice of injecting paraffin stopped. During the Victorian era, a variety of bizarre materials were experimented with for breast implants including goat’s milk, various vegetable oils, rubber, sponges, and even glass or ivory balls! Scary but true!

The dangerous practice of silicone injections began in 1944. Unfortunately, like the paraffin, silicone migrated to other parts of the body and caused dire consequences. We should have learned! First of all, this was not medical grade silicone. Medical grade silicone was not created until 1960. It is important to understand that the FDA has never approved liquid silicone for cosmetic injection purposes.

In 1961 American surgeons Thomas Cronin and Frank Gerow developed the first enclosed silicone implant. Then in 1964 a French company created a saline implant. In 1992 the Food and Drug Administration placed a moratorium on silicone implants all together (except in medical trials for breast reconstruction after mastectomy) due to suspected health complications. Since then implants have continued to improve, and I might add researched more thoroughly for safety. Because of successful research, in 2006 the FDA lifted the ban on silicone implants. Breast augmentation is now strictly monitored and the FDA encourages women to have an MRI every 2-3 years if silicone breast implants are used. Of course saline implants have been available throughout the moratorium on silicone implants.

We have learned from the past! Breast augmentation at Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery is the most common cosmetic surgery I perform. I have hundreds of satisfied patients.

Call Melinda to set up a consultation with me at 501-227-0707