Women in their 70s no longer need to wear bras thanks to £6,000 de-sagging 'internal bra surgery' which involves pig skin

Women in their 70s no longer need to wear bras thanks to an op that can involve shoving pig skin inside their chest, surgeons say.

'Internal bra surgery' naturally lifts breasts, stopping them sagging over time. 

The delicate op sees biodegradable meshes inserted into a woman's chest. These act as a scaffold for the development of tissue that acts an internal bra, pushing the breasts upward and giving them a more natural perky appearance. 

Cosmetic clinics from LA to London now offer the procedure, which insiders say is exploding in popularity, costs upwards of £6,500.

One surgeon who offers the procedure said it was so successful women that some older women were giving up with traditional bras entirely. 

'I’ve got patients in their seventies that we’ve done breast lifts on, and they do not need to wear a bra,' William Adams Jr, a plastic surgeon in Dallas, told Elle. 

However, other experts warn that the name of procedure is misunderstood, saying the surgery isn't guaranteed to replace brasserie.

Patients are often advised to still wear a supportive bra to preserve the effects of the surgery. 

In the UK an internal bra lift is typically offered as an additional extra to a boob job or breast reduction, which can cost about £6,000.

Internal bra surgery, which doesn't have formal name and is instead added to other procedures like lifts or reductions, sees a qualified surgeon insert the custom-made mesh scaffolds under and around the breasts.

The mesh itself — different to the brittle material inserted into women's vaginas that has sparked a medical scandal — can be made from a variety of materials.

Two of the most common are a biosynthetic material called poly-4-hydroxybutyrate and acellular dermal matrix (ADM), which is typically made from carefully prepared pig skin or donated human tissue. 

The surgery typically takes a few hours.

Mesh is secured to the internal tissue of the chest wall, though some versions affix it to the bones in the ribcage.

The implant acts as a scaffold, as during the process of absorption creates an internal scar made of collagen.

This 'scar' stronger then the tissue the body normally has in this location and thus acts like an internal bra, giving the procedure its name.  

This new tissue is said to be about five times stronger than normal tissue in this area, providing a lasting 'lift' for the breasts.

In the case of poly-4-hydroxybutyrat, the mesh dissolves over time, replaced by collagen. 

With ADM, the tissue remains but integrates into the body, becoming populated by the woman's cells. 

In theory, because the mesh is gradually replaced by a patient's own biological tissue, it shouldn't have an impact on the accuracy of tests like breast cancer screening.

Medics advise that thin women can often 'feel' the structure of the mesh beneath the surface of their skin, which can spoil the experience.

As the tissue is also natural, it will still age and drop over the years, albeit at a slower rate than normal, compared to artificial cosmetic implants. 

Additionally, like any surgery, internal bra procedures are not without risk.

The tissue that grows in/around the mesh can become infected and, if it does so, the entire structure will typically need to be removed.

Also, depending on the nature of the procedure, such as the size of any implants being added how many previous augmentations a patient has had, there is a risk of the mesh protruding through the skin.

Most British cosmetic surgery clinics offering the procedure say they use GalaFlex mesh, though some also offer AMD. 

One Brit who had a version of the procedure is Claire Coleman, who was the fifth patient in the UK to have it done with an older polyester mesh model. 

Now in her 50s, Ms Coleman, from Gloucester, suffered an unfortunate side effect from losing a great deal of weight, her breasts became saggy and shapeless.

'I felt abnormal and I hated my reflection. I'd leave changing rooms in tears because low-cut tops looked so bad,' she said. 

Undergoing the procedure in 2010 Ms Coleman said she was ecstatic with the results, dropping from a 36D to a C-cup.

'I'm feeling so much better about dating and relationships in the future because I am totally comfortable about being naked now. In fact, I'd even go without a bra in the day,' she said at the time.

While internal bra surgery has grown in popularity as a purely cosmetic procedure, it's also been used in breast reconstruction for patients who've had one or more of their breasts removed as part of cancer treatment. 

In 2017, Lesley Bruce, a business coach who lives near Stafford, underwent the pig skin version of the internal bra procedure for her left breast.

Ms Bruce, 65 at the time, said she was incredibly happy with the results following her mastectomy and subsequent reconstruction. 

'I’m so relieved that the threat of cancer has gone, and that I still have a natural-looking bust,' she said.

The procedure is also being used in extreme cosmetic surgeries where women are pursing the biggest increases to their bust size possible.

OnlyFans model Lacey Wildd, real name Paula Simonds, had to have an internal bra procedure to support the weight of her colossal 21lb breasts back in 2012.