A Brief History Of Cosmetic Breast Enhancement/Implants – Part 1

1890’s – Paraffin wax injections to the breasts are performed to increase size – many complications developed.

1895 – Dr. Vincent Czerny (Germany) reconstructs a singer’s breast after tumor removal using the patient’s own fat (a lipoma) – over 100 years ago!

1940’s – Liquid silicone injections to the breasts are performed to increase size – a multitude of complications developed in the many Japanese prostitutes having this procedure.

1950’s – Dr. John Pangman (Hollywood, California) is rumored to have performed a breast augmentation for actress Marilyn Monroe using polyvinyl sponge implants. Marilyn also reportedly had a rhinoplasty and a chin implant.

1961 – Dr. Frank Gerow and Dr. Thomas Cronin (Houston, Texas) help to develop the first silicone gel breast implants with manufacturer Dow Corning. Reportedly, the idea for the breast implant was inspired by a unit (bag) of blood from a blood bank. Some 35 years later, the HBO Movie “Breast Men” (1997 – starring Chris Cooper and David Schwimmer) is loosely based on their story.

1962 – Patient Timmie Jean Lindsey, age 30, divorced mother of six, gets the first silicone gel breast implant augmentation. She was augmented from a B to a C cup. She also simultaneously had an otoplasty (prominent ear correction). 48 years later (2010), Timmie Jean Lindsey is a great-grandmother (more than 12 x), age 78, living in Highlands, Texas with her original implants.

1965 – France – Saline breast implants are developed.

1977 – First lawsuit filed (against U.S. breast implant manufacturer Dow Corning) for complications related to silicone gel breast implant rupture. $170,000 settlement.

1989 – Actress Jane Fonda reportedly has silicone gel implant breast augmentation around time of the height of success of her “workout video” fame. 11 years later (2000), she publicly describes her original decision as “misguided” and reportedly has the implants removed.

1990 – Congressional hearing on silicone gel breast implants follows a CBS “expose” report by Connie Chung on a variety of concerning health problems which have been questionably linked to gel implants. There had been scattered reports suggesting these issues in both the medical literature and public press for several years prior.

1992 – FDA calls for a voluntary halt to the cosmetic use of silicone gel breast implants citing concerns over possible links to “connective tissue disorders”. Manufacturers will supply surgeons with gel implants for reconstructive use only. Field of plastic surgery, with silicone gel breast augmentation as one of the most popular procedures, is in turmoil.

1998 – Multinational, extensive breast implant study, taking over 5 years to complete, concludes that there is no scientific evidence that silicone gel implants cause any disease. NIH report states that there are “no health concerns” regarding possible silicone “toxicity”.

1999 – Actress/model Pamela Anderson reportedly has her breast implants removed because they are “too big”. Years later, it is then reported that she has even bigger implants placed than she had originally.

2000 – Saline breast implants are “formally” approved by the FDA.

2003 – Actress/model Mariel Hemingway reports that she received breast implants at age 19, but then needed them replaced because of rupture in her 30’s. Some years later she reportedly has them completely removed.

2004 – Actress Tara Reid has a “fashion malfunction” revealing “bad scars” from a breast lift/breast implant augmentation.The graphic paparazzi photos then make their way into magazines and websites everywhere. Innumerable “bad plastic surgery” discussions appear in the media.

2005 – Talk show host/model Tyra Banks has a live, “on the air” screening ultrasound performed during her talk show to “prove” that she does not have breast implants.

Dr. Lyle Back is originally from New York City, receiving his medical and surgical training at Rutgers Medical School, Cooper Hospital – University Medical Center, and Ohio State. He is Board Certified in General Surgery (ABS) and Plastic Surgery (ABPS). He specializes in the full range of the most modern and state of the art cosmetic surgery procedures for the breasts and non-surgical cosmetic enhancement techniques available today.

Reposted from E-Zine Article