When it comes to beauty trends and innovations, Asia is always at the forefront. While some products and trends that emerge may change our beauty routines for the better, others just leave us scratching our heads and wondering how could this possibly work? The latest product to emerge is a claw-like “massager” aimed at helping women to massage their way to perkier breasts. Board certified surgeons of the PSC take a look at the device and decide whether or not such claims have any merit.
by Anne Meyer
Breast Gymnastics Hand Massager
A Japanese device claiming to reshape breasts recently hit the American market. To evaluate the effectiveness of the self-proclaimed, “personal breast sculptor,” we sat down to discuss the device with two expert breast surgeons, Dr. Richard Restifo of Orange, Connecticut and Dr. Kevin Smith of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Product: The Takiko Shindo Breast Gymnastics Hand Massager can be purchased on Amazon for under $100, much less than the cost of breast lift surgery. The pink plastic hand shaped device bears a strong resemblance to a dollar store back scratcher, with a slightly larger cup-shaped hand on the “massaging” end. It was developed by a Japanese midwife and it claims to, “Shape and tone your bust into better form.”
Question: Can a breast massaging tool reshape breast tissue?
Answer: The short answer is no. “If something is too easy or too good to be true, then it isn’t true,” says Dr. Restifo. Dr. Smith agrees that the breast massaging device is not going to deliver on its reshaping promises. “There’s no way that we can change structure and function and tighten skin with anything externally applied and jiggled,” says Smith.
The Important Role of Breast Massaging
While both surgeons agree the device is a gimmick, they also agree that breast massaging does play an important role in screening for breast cancer. Smith warns that no device will do the job of an actual hand when it comes to the task of self-examination.“There’s no way, with this device, to feel a small lump or feel a small textural difference in the breast,” he explains. Unless you plan on hanging this pink plastic hand on your wall as a reminder to complete your self-examination, it will in no way aid in the breast cancer screening process.
You CAN Improve the Shape of Your Breasts
If your breasts have changed shape over time, leaving you longing for a pink plastic wand to cast a spell whipping them into youthful form, you may be a candidate for a procedure that will actually lift your breasts. In recent years, breast surgery techniques have improved greatly, providing patients with shorter outpatient surgeries, quicker recoveries, minimal pain, and fantastic results.
If you’re interested in finding out what a breast lift would look like on you, 3D imaging in a plastic surgeon’s office can provide that “magic” glimpse of what you could expect. Dr. Smith and Dr. Restifo both offer Vectra 3D Imaging in their offices, enabling them to capture a 3D image of your current breasts and then simulate on a computer the results of breast lift surgery. While surgery is a big leap not all are willing to take, having a visual representation of the changes that can be accomplished is a great way to decide if it’s truly for you.