History of Breast Augmentation

http://www.breast-augmentation-resource.com/html/history.html

To begin our research we all agreed that the first logical step was to research the history of breast augmentation. This article is a very brief history of the procedure and the current techniques that are being used today. As with any procedure, the beginning consisted of a lot of trial and error. Breast augmentation started as far back as 1895 but the results were shaky at best, often resulting in awful scarring or a complete mastectomy. As time went on and technology advanced, the procedure evolved to become much safer as well as more desirable due to the high potential for aesthetically pleasing results. New materials were developed as well as new techniques offering more opportunity for patients to personalize their results particularly regarding size, placement and incision type. Currently, breast augmentation is one of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures performed in the United States and with the increasing efficiency and efficacy of medical techniques this procedure only stands to gain more popularity as well as more profitability.

We also found it interesting that this article focused specifically on the history of cosmetic breast implantation and breast augmentation which dates farther back than breast reconstruction. We searched extensively for an article pertaining to the history of breast reconstruction options following a mastectomy for research purposes and encountered this article which dates reconstruction back to the late 1970s. In the late 1970s, the latissimus flap was the most popular form of autogenous tissue breast reconstruction. Superior gluteal free flap surgery was performed by Fujino in 1976. In 1978, LeQuang performed the first breast reconstruction with an inferior gluteal free flap.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1274236-overview

Although reconstruction with prosthetic implants remains the most common method of breast reconstruction today, proponents of autogenous reconstruction argue that the natural "feel" and durability of a flap exceeds that of an implant.