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24-hour breast enlargement done in your lunchtime

The procedure, also known as 'the 24-hour boob job' or the 'lunchtime breast lift' gives you plump, perky breasts and is gaining popularity among socialites and even those wanting to look a litter 'fuller' for a special occasion, such as parties, weddings, red carpet event or a weekend away.

New York plastic surgeon Dr Norman Rowe, who pioneered the simple surgery called 'Instabreast', injects women's breasts with a simple and innocuous saline solution (essentially salt water) that is performed under local anaesthetic. 

Dr Rowe says the 24-hour boob lift can increase a woman's breast by a cup to a cup and a half in size and gives them an instant confidence boost. It is also a great way for women to gauge if they want to permanently enhance their breasts, he says.

The procedure is normally done in just 20 minutes and patients can go straight back to work afterwards if they want to.

Read: Fake boob spotting

According to the surgeon, when injected, the saline expands the breasts. After 24 hours the saline is absorbed back into the bloodstream and the breasts start to deflate and return to their normal size and shape.

Each procedure costs between $2 500 and $3 500, he said. That's between R27 000 and R38 000.

What about side effects?

Dr Rowe says minor bruising is all he's seen so far, but ABC News’ Dr. Jen Ashton has warned that whenever the skin is pierced – whether with a needle or scalpel – there is a risk of infection, nerve damage or a haematoma (when a blood vessel breaks and blood pools in the tissue or muscle).  

Read: When cosmetic surgery turns ugly

Dr. Michael C. Edwards, a plastic surgeon in Las Vegas and the president of American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery has told the New York Times that, while he can't see huge harm in it, it is not much more than a party trick.

He also warns that by doing the procedure you will be stretching the skin and changing the architecture of the breast. The worry is that the you might be taking away some of the intrinsic support in the breast. 

Watch: ABC News reports on the 24-hour breast lift




Read more:

Plastic surgery fad goes extreme
Would you get butt implants?
Fake is out, natural is in
Quiz: is breast augmentation surgery right for you?


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