Breast Augmentation Trends of the Last 30 Years

Breast augmentation procedures took the top prize for the most performed plastic surgery of 2010. So, it would seem that more women than ever have been getting breast implants. But, say some industry watchers, that doesn’t mean that the trend will continue.

Over the last 30 years, breast augmentation procedures have gone from the playground wishlist of the very wealthy to something many women can afford. That fact alone has seen an upswing in the number of breast implant surgeries nationwide. As certain celebrities’ stars rose and fell, their cleavage size was the “ideal” for many women. At times, it was the bigger the better, or so Hollywood seemed to say. And for those with less than average or small sized bust lines, breast augmentation was a way to have that “goddess bodice” just like the movie stars on the big screen.

Another thing that helped the rising trend in rising breast sizes was the development of safer, more natural-looking ways to increase the bust size. Plastic surgery breakthroughs developed the tapered breast implant, that shifted less, kept its position better, and looked more like the real thing than the previous rounded models of implants. Thicker, more stable shells now prevent filler loss and leakage, meaning less chance of an implant needing repair or replacement. And with variable sizes and types now available, any woman can have the cleavage of her dreams without the fears and worries, or dangerous side effects, of earlier breast implants.

So, with new, safer, more natural looking breast augmentation available, and lowered costs and medical risks for the patient, why do some say that breast implants are on their way out? Well, to be precise, no one is predicting an end to breast augmentation. But the extra large and unnatural look of the 90s is long gone.

More and more celebrities are having their breast implants replaced with smaller, more natural contour. As the women mature and age, they want a more natural, slimmer profile. They want to be able to age “gracefully” and naturally, and having va-va-va-vooms like a 20 year old while the rest of the body has reached 40, isn’t exactly the picture of health and fitness many stars want to portray.

Breast augmentation is the most popular cosmetic procedure in our nation, and it’s not going anywhere. Trends in the past thirty years point to today’s preference for a more natural look. Women want to feel confident and comfortable in their own bodies, not like over-inflated, obviously augmented vixens.