GMA: Doctors Say Suction Device Increases Breast Size

N E W  Y O R K,  May 9 -- Women who want a bigger bust have had help over the years from padded bras, push-up bras, and the "Cross Your Heart" bra. Now there's something that actually promises to increase breast size — without implants.

The Brava Breast Enhancement and Shaping System, developed by reconstructive surgeon Dr. Roger Khouri, is said to be the first non-surgical technique for increasing the bust size.

"As soon as you put it on, you see your breasts growing," says Daisy, who asked that her last name not be used. "You have it on for an hour and your breasts are bigger."

Decade in Development

It may sound like one of those ads in the back of women's magazines that boast "bigger bust in just days!" But women who have tried it and the doctors who developed it say in most cases, breasts grow up to one full cup size after 10 weeks of wearing the bra for 10 hours a day.

A board of leading plastic surgeons and tissue engineer who have worked to develop the so-called "suction bra" for more than a decade are conducting clinical trials to demonstrate its legitimacy. Some 200 women have tried the bra in trials in Miami, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

The bras are now beginning to make their way onto the market via the Brava doctors.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has reviewed the bra as a 510(k) Class II Medical Device, and is allowing the sale. Although it met all FDA requirements, however, the agency has decided not to regulate the Brava system at this point.

Domes and Pump

Daisy, a petite data processor, participated in the clinical trials for the device because she wanted her clothes to fit better and did not want breast-enhancement surgery.

For 10 weeks, 10 hours a day, she wears a sports bra containing two plastic domes edged in a sticky silicone gel. Also held in place under the bra is a small rechargeable power pack.

"You'll notice there's a little port on the bottom where tubing fits into, there's a device that we call the 'Smart Box,'" says Dr. Thomas Baker, lead clinical investigator for Brava System. "The Smart Box has a little pump in it, which is battery-activated which creates a negative pressure within the dome between the breast and the wall of the dome."