Israeli researcher Adi Cohen and his crew at the start-up company MIM (Minimally Invasive Mastopexy) are developing an implant that works like a bra, but is worn under the skin. As reported by Israel21c.org, this new technique "promises to reshape, support and lift breast soft tissue in a much more minimally invasive manner than today's cosmetic breast surgery." They're calling their breast support kit the Cup&Up.

"'What we've done is build a silicone bra,'" [Cohen explains], "'insert it into the body and attach it to the ribs and to the fascia. It's like a normal external bra... where a strip lies on the shoulder and attaches around the body. We attach it to the ribs instead of to the shoulder, and to the fascia in the lower part of the body.'" The straps used to lift the cups are made of surgical thread, and are fixed to the ribs with small anchoring screws.

The concept for the internal bra came from Dr. Eyal Gur, head of microsurgery at Tel Aviv's Ichilov Hospital. Both Gur and Cohen believe the Cup&Up is the perfect solution for women seeking a less expensive, longer lasting, and safer alternative to traditional breast augmentation. The procedure, which will take approximately 40 minutes, will be performed under general anaesthesia.

What are the potential drawbacks and risks? Some experts worry the silicone may harden, or the tug of the straps might be uncomfortable against the ribs. In a recent conversation, Dr. Susan Downey, an ASPS board-certified plastic surgeon in Santa Monica, California, warned that if the Cup&Up only harnesses and hoists the breasts, it may not be getting at the very root of the problem - namely, excess skin. She also noted that while the thread breaking or the cup moving are potential problems, the fact that no skin is removed in this procedure would severely limit the population that could benefit from this procedure.

Researchers at MIM are still at work, studying the procedure on pigs. While no animal has the same kind of breasts that women do, pigs can approximate the delicate human skin that will be moved, stretched, and stitched up as part of this procedure.

More trials will are scheduled to begin in Belgium next autumn.