Early clinical experience of hyaluronic acid gel for breast enhancement

SummaryBackgroundAn increasing number of women are seeking minimally-invasive procedures to enhance the shape and volume of their breasts. Early, limited use of Macrolane™ suggests it is a promising agent for non-surgical breast enhancement.ObjectiveTo assess the safety and efficacy of Macrolane™ in non-surgical breast enhancement.MethodsA prospective report of 194 women presenting for non-surgical breast enhancement at London Bridge Plastic Surgery between November 2007 and August 2009.ResultsSafety: Adverse events were reported in a total of 21.1% of patients. Minor adverse events (12%) were mainly confined to product migration, lumpiness, scar pigmentation and breast pain. All events were of mild to moderate intensity and resolved promptly without any additional treatment. Major adverse events (8.7%) included infection, capsular contracture, early resorption and product removal. Efficacy: Efficacy of treatment was assessed by patients using the five-point Global Esthetic Improvement Scale (GEIS). Patient satisfaction with treatment was consistently high with a mean score ≥3.3 at all time points during follow-up. Patient-assessed GEIS indicated that some degree of improvement was seen by all (100%) patients at all time points up to and including 12 months irrespective of whether they had been re-treated. At the time of analysis, follow-up data are available for 45% of patients at 12 months, with 19% of all patients presenting for re-treatment with Macrolane™ to date and 5.7% going on to have breast implants.ConclusionThis review represents the largest European clinical experience with Macrolane™ for breast enhancement. It shows that Macrolane™ can provide satisfactory improvement in breast shape. It is associated with high patient satisfaction, and provides a long-lasting result. Follow-up to data have been adequate to identify early complications; however, further follow-up is required to monitor long-term outcomes. The impact of HA on breast cancer remains inconclusive to date.