This page briefly outlines the most important stages in the more than 100-year history of breast augmentation:
- In 1895, the first attempt at breast augmentation was made by Vincenz Czerny, a German-Austrian doctor. It was a tumor patient whose breast Czerny enlarged with a lipoma (benign fatty tumor) in order to achieve better symmetry after cancer surgery.
- Before 1962, various materials (plastic sponges, ivory, glass balls, rubber …) were inserted or injected into the breast for breast augmentation. Liquid silicone was just one of them. The consequences of these sometimes non-sterile procedures were often devastating and led to hardening, scarring and infections. The desire for a larger, more aesthetic breast sometimes even ended in a mastectomy.
- In 1962, the development of the silicone implant by Cronin and Gerow was the starting signal for breast augmentation.
- In 1972 and 1973, Troques and Höhler described the axillary approach in breast augmentation.
- 1990s: endoscopic procedures were used.
- April 1992: The FDA bans the use of silicone breast implants for aesthetic breast augmentation in the USA. There is a lack of adequate studies proving the safety of silicone over a longer period of time. Silicone implants are still permitted for breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery if other implants are not suitable from a medical point of view.
- 2000: large-scale recall of soybean oil implants due to the suspected formation of toxic substances in the event of damage to the implant shell
- 2000: Hydrogel implants, which were also used for breast augmentation, are withdrawn from the market. The harmlessness of the hydrogel or its degradation products was not sufficiently proven.
- 2004 Silicone implants are approved for breast augmentation in Europe. In large-scale studies, silicone was classified as harmless to health. Today, it is considered the best-studied material in medicine.
- In Nov. 2006 silicone implants for cosmetic breast augmentation are approved by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) in the USA.
In addition to the history of breast augmentation, you will find further information on the operation and its techniques as well as pre- and post-treatment. Our Düsseldorf team will introduce you to the topic of implants under breast implants.
Sources:
- Plastic surgery – Krupp – Ecomed – 2008 – (ring binder)
- Aesthetic surgery – Lemperle, von Heimburg – Ecomed – 2008 – (ring binder)
- Plastic Surgery – Berger, Hierner – Springer – Volume 3: Mamma, Stamm – Berlin 2006
- Plastic Surgery – Mathes – 8 Volumes – Saunders; Edition: Uitgawe – 2005
- Plastic Surgery – Grabb & Smith – Lippinkott Williams & Wilkins – Philadelphia USA – 2007
