Of the 350,000 women who received breast implants last year, most will be forced to undergo revision and/or replacement surgery as a result of side effects of the procedure including ruptures, leaks, scar tissue formation, and deformities.

Now, however, talk of the development of a new type of implant created out of a biorubber substance holds promise for the future of breast augmentation.

Biorubber To Prevent Side Effects

According to professor of polymer sciences Judit Puskas at the University of Akron, the biorubber substance would be safer, less permeable, lighter, and less likely to leak or rupture than silicone, the material currently used in implants.

Puskas also claims that biorubber breast implants would work to inhibit possible side effects and problems that often arise with breast augmentation procedures including the prevention of scar tissue formation, which often results in capsular contracture.

Research Funding

While the idea of a biorubber implant is in development, Puskas and other researchers are awaiting funding for their project—an 11-year, $10 million cost to create and test the product.

“My real awakening and motivation for this project is that the [National Institutes of Health] does not support any project—zero—for alternative materials for breast implants,” said Puskas. “It's silicone and silicone only. There is nothing else.”

If the funding is approved by the National Science Foundation, Puskas and her colleagues would spend the first year developing the prototype of the implant and test its mechanical and chemical properties to determine whether or not biorubber is more well-matched for the human body than silicone.

The next year would involve the testing of the implants in lab animals to prepare the device for human clinical trials.

Considering breast augmentation? Please contact us today for a complimentary consultation with a trusted board certified plastic surgeon near you.