BREAST ENLARGEMENT PUMPS

The issues of body image have been around for decades, and taking drastic measures to fit with society's standards is not anything new. In the late 1970s, a product began circulating in the U.S. known as the Breast Enlargement Pump. Advertised as a way for women to make their breasts larger, the machine was ultimately a fad to fix a consumer’s desire.

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For those who did not wish to undergo a full-blown surgery, there were quicker at-home options to get the look they were aiming for. Breast enlargement pumps could be purchased, along with the cream to soften the tissue, to achieve this look. In theory, the idea was that tissues could grow when subjected to controlled distractive mechanical forces. Enough pulling and tugging on a breast over a long period of time would lead to enlargement. A study conducted in 2000 put this to the test, and while results showed an improvement, it did not account for the thousands of women who would buy into this and end up with bruised and misshapen breasts, or even little to no change at all. At this point, some women will attest to the machine working, while others will say it did nothing.

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Citations

Breast Enlarger Pump. [Image]. (2013). Museum of Quackery.

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Breast Enlargement Pump Cups. [Image]. (2023). Noggleberry.  

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Cudney, Anna A. “Breast Enlargement Pumps: Are They Really Safe For You?” Make My Breast Perfect.

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Cudney, Anna A. Breast Enlargement Pumps [Image]. Make My Breast Perfect. 

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Khouri, Roger K. M.D.; Schlenz, Ingrid M.D.; Murphy, Brian J. M.D.; Baker, Thomas J. M.D.. Nonsurgical Breast Enlargement Using an External Soft-Tissue Expansion System. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 105(7):p 2500-2512, June 2000.