Israeli start-up company, Minimally Invasive Mastopexy (MIM), thinks that breast implants are so passé. Wouldn't you rather just have a surgically implanted bra? Their breast support kit, cleverly titled Cup&Up, promises to "reshape, support and lift breast soft tissue in a much more minimally invasive manner than today's cosmetic breast surgery". The problem with today's traditional breast surgeries, according to MIM CEO Adi Cohen, is they don't take into consideration what gravity will do over time.  Sagging breasts? Heaven forbid! During surgery, a silicon bra is inserted into the body and attached to the ribs and fascia. "It's like a normal external bra where a strip lies on the shoulder and attaches around the body. We attach it to the ribs instead of to the shoulder, and to the fascia in the lower part of the body," explains Cohen. Call me crazy, but wouldn't it be a hell of a lot cheaper/less painful to just wear a regular ol' bra? According to the creators, the trend of breast augmentation won't be over any time soon, so why not opt for a safer and less invasive route?

Has anyone gotten the Cup&Up breast surgery yet? So far, just pigs. That's right, Babe and Porky are enjoying the endless support that an internal bra provides. "There isn't a single animal tissue or organ that behaves like a female's breast, not even in monkeys," says Cup&Up inventor Dr. Eyal Gur. "Since the pigskin most closely resembles human skin, we inserted silicon implants inside the pig chest wall and supported them by using our device. We were testing staying power, tissue reaction and damage or injury to muscles or ribs. The results showed the Cup&Up held in place nicely without complications; this paved the way for human clinical trials, a major juncture for the life of any company."

Wow, if having a bra inserted into my body didn't already make me squirm, talk about a tummy flop when it comes to unnecessary cosmetic animal testing! Sorry to say I'm just not sold on the Cup&Up, but nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if this product takes off.

Image and quotes courtesy of Israel21c