Breast enlargement cream and breast enlargement pill claims These creams and pills generally claim to work as phyto-estrogens. These are “naturally occurring” herbs and other chemicals that are involved with modulating a woman’s hormone levels. They claim to be safe, because the active ingredients are natural and although they cause a modification of the woman’s own hormones, there are no hormones in the product. Reviewing product ingredients, most of these contain one or a combination of saw palmetto, fennel seed, black cohosh, dong quai, Fenugeek, and L-Tyrosine. Some of the top selling brands including Perfect Woman, Breast Actives, Cleavage, and Embrace “work” in this manner. Another common breast enhancement cream, Benefil, claims breast enlargement from dilation of the blood vessels in the skin from caffeine. Also, they claim that their cream tightens collagen which improves breast tone and lifts saggy breasts. This does not work hormonally. I am actually sure that it doesn’t work at all, as this makes no medical sense.

Breast development physiology 101

Breast development is a complex process that is largely hormonally driven. The three main hormones involved are estrogen, progesterone, and prolactin to keep it simple. During puberty estrogen starts the process of breast development. After a woman begins to menstruate, progesterone comes into play and there is a delicate balance between estrogen and progesterone that triggers various points of the ovulatory cycle. During pregnancy the progesterone levels increase significantly and there is a second large peak in breast size. This is maintained during breast feeding by estrogen, progesterone, and prolactin, which is the breast milk producing hormone which stimulates the breast ducts and engorgement of breast feeding.

Safety and effectiveness of breast enhancing pills and creams.

It would make sense that if science could find a way to hormonally trick the breasts into thinking they are pregnant, going through puberty, or breast feeding that breast enlargement would occur. Yes this is possible. No this is not safe! There are many cancers including uterine cancer and breast cancer which estrogen exposure has been associated as a risk factor. Hormones are at a constant state of balance and equilibrium. Disrupting this balance could cause a cascade of problems that only time and further research will demonstrate.

So they may be dangerous, but do they work? First, none of these pills or creams are FDA approved. The FDA has stated that claims that these substances cause breast enlargement are misleading. They are sold as herbal supplements and as such are not subject to the rigorous safety and effectiveness standards of the FDA. As a plastic surgeon, I have yet to meet a patient who claims to have experienced any beneficial effect from these products. I see several women every day that are very concerned with the size of their breasts. It would make sense that if these products worked I would have heard at least one success story by now! The alternative is breast augmentation surgery which has a proven track record of safety and effectiveness for the last 40 years and it is only getting better.

Don’t waste your money. Don’t be an experiment. Don’t be a sucker. Breast enlargement creams and pills truly are too good to be true.