Women are always being told how important it is to wear a bra which is the correct size for them, particularly as research shows that a large proportion of women regularly wear the wrong sized bra. An ill-fitting bra will not support the breasts fully and can cause poor posture over time.

However not all women like to wear bras as they can sometimes chafe or generally just feel uncomfortable. On the other hand, some women are also loathe to remove their bras as they dislike the sagginess of their breasts without the support that a bra provides.

Now, there is a solution – the internal bra breast lift. The Internal Bra System is a new form of breast-lift cosmetic surgery. In a normal breast lift, the newly formed breast is held up by skin alone. This means that over time, scars can stretch and the breasts will be start to sag.

However the new breast lift takes the strain away from the skin by using a mesh-like material called Breform. A similar material to Breform is already in use in hernia operations and it helps to provide inbuilt support.

Cosmetic surgeons perform the breast lift and then insert a cone-shaped piece of the polyester Breform mesh underneath the skin. It is then secured to the layer of fat just above the breast tissue. Over time, the mesh gets incorporated into the breast as the body produces a fibrous tissue that cements the structure into place. This means that the mesh turns into something akin to an internal bra system. One implanted, the patient should not be able to feel the mesh underneath the skin.

The results of the Internal Bra Breast Lift are said to last longer than the usual breast lift procedure.

Trials in Holland have shown that 60 percent of women who have had the mesh implanted now go on a regular basis without a bra. 170 women have been followed for four and a half years and no serious complications have been found so far. Physical and X-ray examinations of the breasts are also still possible.

The downside of this procedure is that America’s Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet approved the Breform device as the long-term safety of the device has yet to be proven. Although a similar substance has been used in hernia operations for over 40 years, cosmetic surgeons are keen to point out that putting anything into the body must be monitored for at least ten years to ensure that the product does not become harmful to the body over the course of several years.

There is also little research on how the mesh system will cope with pregnancy – breasts tend to swell in size during pregnancy and may become too big for the internal bra system. It is also unknown whether the mesh will cause problems with breast-feeding.

Thus, anyone who is looking to have this Internal Bra System cosmetic surgery must be aware of the possible risk they are taking with an long-term unproven elective surgery.