By Denise Mann
Forget the rice test.
Don’t bother with the preconsultation home kits.
And skip those padded bras, too.
If you really want to know what your new breasts will look like, try them on for reals?
The concept—advanced by New York City plastic surgeon Norman Rowe, MD—involves injecting saline into the breast to create the look and feel of implants. Instead of 10 years, however, these “InstaBreasts” last for 24 hours. Rowe is now working on a method that would last 2 to 3 weeks or for spring or Christmas break, thus the term “vacation breasts.”
The concept itself is not new. Many surgeons use saline to show patients what their lips will look like after augmentation or to illustrate the cosmetic effects of another procedure. Boob jobs are also not new. Injections of Macrolene gel were widely used in Europe to boost breast size, but the product was withdrawn amid concerns it could mask signs of breast cancer.
Many plastic surgeons are not quite as enthused about the concept as Rowe and the media.
“A procedure that lasts 24 hours, if that, doesn’t seem worth the risks.?” —David Cangello, MD
“Because cosmetic surgery is elective, we as cosmetic surgeons have an obligation to only perform procedures where the potential benefits of the procedure are great enough that having the procedure justifies the limited risk that is encountered with every procedure,” says David Cangello, MD, a New York City plastic surgeon and an attending plastic surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital and Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital. “In my personal opinion, this procedure is a ‘gimmick’ [and] another way to bring potentially new patients into the office and benefit financially.”
The most likely risks are bleeding, hematoma, and infection, he says. “Now, the truth is, any cosmetic procedure of the breast also has these risks, [but] the difference is patients get lasting results with these other procedures that can be mentally (in terms of self-esteem) and/or physically life-altering for them,” Cangello says. “A procedure that lasts 24 hours, if that, doesn’t seem worth the risks.?”
Others suggest that breast size may be uneven with this method. Cost, too, could be a deterrent. Rowe says that the cost will be less than the “InstaBreast,” which was priced at $2,500. That’s a pretty hefty price tag for 1 night only. In New York City, the average cost of permanent breast augmentation is somewhere around $7,000 to $8,000.
Either way, the vacation breast story has gone viral with pick-up everywhere from MTV, ABC News, USA Today, and many, many more.
The one thing we can say for sure is that Rowe has a crackerjack PR team.
Kudos to them!
