The Japanese Experience with Mastopathy Secondary to Injectable Materials

Abstract

Augmentation of breasts for aesthetic purposes by using injectable materials started being performed in various countries in the early twentieth century. However, the procedure resulted in many serious problems and was rapidly prohibited in the United States and European countries. Japan has a unique history of breast augmentation with injectable materials: whereas other countries in the world quickly banned or heavily regulated this practice, it was employed extensively over several decades in Japan. Many women in Japan today suffer from the sequelae of this procedure. To ensure that this tragedy is not repeated, both physicians and scientists in various fields, including plastic surgery and breast surgery, should have a thorough understanding of the Japanese history of breast augmentation with injectable materials.