Cosmetic surgeon announces the ‘implant-free boob job’

Women who are considering breast augmentation may be able to achieve their dream without an implant.

Instead, they could be suitable for a significant new development which uses the woman's own breast tissue.

Called Auto-augmentation, this break-through in cosmetic surgery has been developed by British-born aesthetic cosmetic surgeon, Laurence Kirwan MD FRCS FACS, who trained in the USA.

Once Kirwan has verified that a patient has sufficient breast tissue to ensure a successful outcome using his new method, he moves part of the breast gland from the lower part of her breast to the upper area to provide fullness where she needs it - ie, above the nipple.

To reduce scarring following Auto-augmentation, Kirwan uses a lollipop-shaped closure. This results in a single scar running vertically under the breast and a natural-looking "purse string" gathering of the skin around the areola.

Women develop drooping breasts due to weight loss or, more commonly, through pregnancy and breast feeding. Until Kirwan‘s significant achievement, a silicone or saline implant was the only approved solution for a woman to regain her lost contours.

Kirwan offers his innovative surgery in both the UK and USA and says it is suitable for some 20 to 30% of the women he sees at his Harley Street consulting rooms. Results of Auto-augmentation can be viewed on his website at cosmeticplasticsurgery.uk.com.

Kirwan's pioneering work in breast augmentation is being applauded by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery which has invited him to present this procedure, along with two others he has introduced, to a major meeting of plastic surgeons in Washington in April.

The other procedures are nipple reduction and Axilla Plasty. Both allow women to wear figure-hugging and cut-away clothing that otherwise would cause them embarrassment.

Nipple reduction has become one of Professor Kirwan's 'signature' procedures. It involves segmenting the nipple but uses a method that preserves sensation. Axilla Plasty corrects the unsightly overhang of fat and skin above the bra at the armpit. The fat is suctioned away and excess skin is removed to create a neat, thin, linear scar which is hidden in the underarm. The wound is closed with a buried stitch, which aids healing. Kirwan says his Axilla Plasty is becoming increasingly popular as fashion decrees that chic women should go strapless, or wear tops with cut-away armholes.