Suction cup bra claims rejected

"If you have been dreaming of bigger breasts, but can't face the commitment of surgery – stop dreaming."

That is the pitch from a company offering to get flat-chested women from an A cup to a C cup without a stitch of surgery or any silicone.

However, a Christchurch plastic surgeon is cautioning women to be wary of claims that breasts can be pumped up.

"Anything that sounds too good to be true probably is," Howard Klein, whose expertise includes surgical breast enhancement, said.

In promotional material released this week, Brava – a company that originated in North America – promises "bigger breasts while you sleep".

Brochures claim a suction cup-styled brassiere – worn overnight for at least 10 weeks – will augment the average chest by a full cup size. The range is between half a cup to two cup sizes.

The enhancement is allegedly achieved by "the scientific principle of tension-induced tissue growth".

A "mild three-dimensional pull" places the breast under sustained tension, which, in turn, causes cells to replicate, generating new breast tissue and, ultimately, bigger breasts, Brava claims.

However, Klein, who is also vice-president of the New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons, said the method had been frowned upon in the United States.

"Patients may see some results, but it could be due to local tissue irritation," he said.

However, Dr Ronald Goedeke, who introduced Brava to New Zealand and Australia, maintained the method was safe and effective, and rejected suggestions it was a form of quackery.

"I've only seen evidence showing it works and it's extremely safe, whereas the opposite holds true for breasts implants. There's more and more evidence showing the long-term use of breast implants may be detrimental to a woman's health."

Goedeke, who is based in Auckland, emphasised the system had limited results (in most cases an increase of one cup size) and could in no way compete with surgical breast enhancement.

"It's for a different group of women – those who would never consider implants," he said, adding that woman could not expect to grow bigger than a C cup.

In the two years Brava has been marketed in Australasia, about 260 women have invested in the suction-cup units, which cost $NZ2600.

Goedeke said the system, which has only been around for seven years, was showing good results for permanent enhancement.

He said researchers were waiting until the 10-year mark to make a more thorough evaluation of its permanence.

Klein said the self-improvement industry was increasingly difficult for consumers.

"It's becoming a buyer-beware market for this stuff, especially in the area of appearance medicine. There's all sorts of people making claims based on pseudo-scientific studies that are unproven. There's a lot of creams and potions these days."

Klein said the suction-cup system might achieve some modest results, but it was on shaky ground in terms of safety, sustainability, and reliability.

"The party line is: as far as we know, the only way to truly enhance the size and shape of the breast is through surgery ... the kindest thing you could say about it is that in a few patients there may be some small changes."