Polypropylene breast implants, also known as string breast implants, are a form of

breast implant A breast implant is a prosthesis used to change the size, shape, and contour of a person's breast. In reconstructive plastic surgery, breast implants can be placed to restore a natural looking breast following a mastectomy, to correct congeni ...

using

polypropylene Polypropylene (PP), also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications. It is produced via chain-growth polymerization from the monomer propylene. Polypropylene belongs to the group of polyolefins an ...

developed by Gerald W. Johnson. Due to a number of medical complications, the device has not been approved in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

or the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. Polypropylene implants absorb water very slowly, about <0.01% in 24 hours. The polypropylene, which is yarn-like, causes irritation to the implant pocket which causes the production of

serum Serum may refer to: *Serum (blood), plasma from which the clotting proteins have been removed **Antiserum, blood serum with specific antibodies for passive immunity * Serous fluid, any clear bodily fluid * Truth serum, a drug that is likely to mak ...

which fills the implant pocket on a continual basis. This causes continuous expansion of the breast after surgery. Growth can only be alleviated by removal of serum by syringe. Problems can also arise if the breasts enlarge at different rates. This can be corrected by removal of serum or introduction of sterile saline. Continual breast growth will eventually result in "extreme, almost cartoonish breast sizes." String implants were only available for a very short time in the US before being removed from the market by the FDA around 2001. Breast implants

Polypropylene implant have created the largest recorded increases in breast size due to surgical augmentation. They are rarely seen outside the

adult entertainment The sex industry (also called the sex trade) consists of businesses that either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment. The industry includes activities involving direct provision of sex-related ...

industry. Big-bust entertainers

Chelsea Charms Chelsea Charms (born March 7, 1976) is a former American big-bust model, internet model, and stripper who is famous for having extremely large breasts. Biography Charms has appeared in adult magazines specializing in large breast models. She ...

Maxi Mounds Maxi Mounds is an American nude big-bust model, stripper and occasional pornographic actress originally from the Long Island, New York area. Mounds is known for her extremely large breast implants. Mounds' implants are polypropylene string br ...

, Kayla Kleevage, Minka, Elizabeth Starr, and Teddi Barrett are some recipients of polypropylene breast implants.

References

{{reflist Breast Cosmetic surgery