Back to the 2000s: Why is breast enlargement trending again?

We can’t remember the last time we wrote about trends outside of TikTok. There is no doubt that the site has become the main supplier of beauty trends. One of the latest trends (again, not again) stems from a wave of nostalgia for zero. Along with faux tan and low-rise jeans, plastic surgery for breast augmentation was popular at that time. Pamela Anderson, Victoria Beckham and Tara Reid of the zero era are proof of that. And while the beauty industry has gravitated towards naturalness over the past few years, videos under the hashtag #breastaugmentation (translated as “breast enlargement”) on TikTok have already had nearly a billion views. Users film the rehabilitation process and show the results after the operation. What do you need to know about breast augmentation and what are the trends in plastic surgery today? We asked the main questions to plastic surgeon Georgy Chemyanov.

Georgy Chemyanov, PhD, plastic surgeon, founder of the Chemyanov Medical Lounge aesthetic medicine clinic

How have breast enlargement trends changed?

Any demand for plastic surgery is directly related to the trends set by the global fashion industry and gloss. The perception of beautiful busts has changed in the last 10 years. In the foreground was the tendency to naturalness. We’re looking at small breasts on the red carpet, not big boobs like in the mid-2000s. And often under fashionable “naked” dresses we see not only natural breasts, but also imperfect breasts.

Breast surgeries have not decreased, but demands have changed. Basically, patients no longer want full, protruding breasts in the third or even fifth dimension. On the contrary, they want the most natural breasts, the B cup.

One of the trends of recent years is the preservation of a sports figure. And with a small breast size it will look like this.

What is the main request now?

For shape correction. The breast changes with age, with weight loss, during pregnancy and lactation. Often there is a request to return it to the correct form. But fashion is cyclical, so it cannot be ruled out that a new generation growing up with trends from TikTok may again be inspired by the placement of round implants.

What new plastic surgery methods have emerged?

Now breast aesthetics has reached its peak: we know exactly how to use implants and how to perform surgery safely. But at the same time, the implant itself has not changed globally since the early 90s. It’s still the same bag filled with silicone. All changes were more marketing in nature. The crust has changed, the gel itself has changed – it has become softer. But implants have not become an ideal device that can be guaranteed to serve for years. There are still a number of difficulties: it can move, turn, its integrity can be violated. That’s why I’m trying to reduce the use of silicone implants in my practice. Including to maintain the proportions of the body.

Moreover, you can now use other methods to shape the breast and increase its volume. For example, lipofilling is the administration of the patient’s own fat. If your breasts are very small, of course, you cannot do without silicone prosthesis.

Bad examples of celebrity breast aesthetics

The less clothes you wear, the better you can tell if the implants are in place. For example, Hunter Schafer scratches the bottom edge of the implant. It is very thin, there are few skin tissues, the skin is thin, and the entire lower edge of the implant is clearly visible. The edges of the implant are broken and do not look very aesthetically pleasing.

Victoria Beckham had the same story. Then there was an explosion in the placement of standout silicone implants. Given their thinness, they could be seen from all sides: both in the interbreast space and along the upper edge. No matter how hard Victoria tried, it was almost impossible to hide her with clothes, and she finally took them off.

When does breast enlargement look most natural?

In cases where the patient has too much of his own gland and the breast is augmented with implants of sufficient size, the implants will be invisible. For thin patients it is better to choose small implants and use a hybrid technique: insert them and complete with lipofilling. A layer of adipose tissue allows you to shade the contours and make them more invisible, and the shape of the breast is more harmonious.