Boob Jab or Bust?

The Boob Jab is a new procedure which is gaining popularity outside the United States. Apparently it is a nonsurgical method of breast augmentation, where a hyaluronic acid injectable filler called Macrolane is injected via a 20 cm needle into the breast to augment it. The procedure costs $4000-7000 and lasts approximately 12-18 months.

What do I think of this? There are some very important questions to consider with it:
1. To my knowledge, hyaluronic acid is not FDA approved for injection into the breasts.
2. In the US, the major hyaluronic acid fillers are extremely expensive. They typically cost the surgeon upwards of $250 per 1 cc syringe. When one considers that the smallest breast implants are typically about 200cc, this can really add up in cost.
3. When massive amounts of a foreign substance are injected into the body, the body can react by creating a shell of inflammatory tissue around it, called a granuloma. This can even get infected in certain instances and create large wounds as the substance is expelled from the body.
4. With 1 in 9 women getting breast cancer in the United States, it is important to make sure that this treatment doesn't interfere with cancer-detecting mammograms.
5. Hyaluronic acid products have been proven to last 6-12 months in the face. How is it that it lasts up to 18 months in a breast?
6. Who wants to spend $4000-7000 each 18 months for a single added cup size?

With the amount of fake plastic surgeons in this country, I would not be surprised if some of them tried to use this procedure to promote themselves as being new and innovative. The whole thing sounds like a crock to me.

Story credit: marieclaire.co.uk, dailymail.co.uk

Click here for a clip from my appearance on Fox News discussing this procedure.

Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.: