Sorry about this...

[DeltAlum]

But I saw a headline in the Ohio University Post...

Battery powered bra could increase bust size

by Rebecca Litchfield
For the Post
It's the bra that keeps going and going and going.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new bra that gives women another option in breast augmentation and a new meaning to the battery size AA.

The Brava Breast Enhancement and Shaping System, developed by reconstructive surgeon Dr. Roger Khouri, is the first non-surgical technique for increasing the bust size.

It is the only scientifically proven method besides surgery that increases breast size, Khouri said.

The system resembles a high-tech sports bra and weighs one to two pounds, said Brava specialist Vivian Ruben. The bra consists of two domes, a small computer, which regulates and records wear pattern, and a sports bra.

Two clear plastic domes linked to a rechargeable suction device are placed over the breasts, causing a tight seal, she said. This creates a vacuum, which stretches the breast and then causes the cells to respond by stretching and growing, slowly increasing in size.

The bra, if worn for ten hours a day for ten weeks, can grow enough extra breast tissue to increase one cup size on average, Ruben said. Missing days can cause setbacks in growth and is not recommended.

If, at any point, a desired change has been made and the user wishes to stop the treatment before the ten-week period is up, the breasts will return to a size slightly above what the original size was, and the enhancement will be minimal. The system must be worn for a minimum of ten weeks to achieve the desired change, Ruben said.

The bra was developed by Delaware Company, Brava LLC, which has a staff of business and medical professionals, including plastic and reconstructive surgeons and a medical scientific advisory board of physicians and surgeons, said Brava Specialist Anna Marie Teredor.

A board of leading plastic surgeons and tissue engineers is skeptical of the effectiveness of this new product, Teredor said. Brava board members, who have worked to develop this so-called "suction bra" for more than a decade, are conducting clinical trials to demonstrate its legitimacy. Some 200 women have tried the bra in Miami, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

The only side effect detected is dermatitis, an itchy skin condition that results from contact with a product that might irritate some people's skin, Teredor said. The bra has been tested and is not known to cause breast cancer or stretch marks. Yet, women who are pregnant or lactating, those with a history of breast cancer or those under the age of 18 are not recommended to use the bra.

But a woman's self-esteem could be at risk as well.

This clever invention is really just another attempt to point out women's shortcomings or problem areas, said Madeline Boscoe, an executive director of the Canadian's Women's Health Network. Women should not feel compelled to use the suction device in order to feel good about their bodies.

The bra has been featured in Elle and Time magazines and is now available for purchase at $995.


Not that any of our GC women need the help...