Permanent Bra

A CBS 2 News Special Assignment

A new cosmetic surgery could help many women fix a sagging problem.

CBS 2 News' I-Team goes into the operating room to show you exactly how a new breast-lift technique is changing the way women battle the effects of gravity that come with age.

You'll see the results and hear what one patient has to say about her new look.

CBS 2 News' Thelma Guiterrez takes a closer look at what some are calling a "permanent bra."

Special Assignment: Permanent Bra aired Wednesday, July 1, 1998 at 11 p.m.

Whether it's associated with gravity, childbearing, or the aging process, changes to a woman's breasts are inevitable.

But one plastic surgeon says there's hope on the horizon and it comes in the form of a tiny 4x4 piece of mesh, reported CBS 2 News' Thelma Gutierrez. The procedure can be found at the Lasky Clinic in Beverly Hills.

Using a new technique developed in Brazil, Dr. Leslie Stevens can surgically lift breasts without leaving behind unsightly scars.

"The only scar is on the areola," Stevens told Gutierrez. "In the past, to achieve the best shape and get the lift out of the breast, one had to compromise and have all the scarring, which is why many women shied away."

Forty-one-year-old Cindy Pudlicki (pictured) decided she needed to do something about her sagging problem.

"I want to do it for me," Pudlicki told Gutierrez. "I wanted to feel better about myself."

When Stevens performed the procedure on Pudlicki he made an incision around each nipple. He then inserted the piece of mesh by attaching it under the skin to Pudlicki's chest muscles.

Stevens said the mesh bra is made of the same material used for sutures.

"Over the course of approximately three months the mesh dissolves, and we rely on the body's own scar tissue to hold the breast in its place," said Stevens. "The (mesh) is there to sort of facilitate healing and to maintain the shape without putting any tension on the external envelope of skin."

With this technique, the milk ducts are preserved so that a woman can breast feed and the nerves to the nipple are also protected for sensitivity, Gutierrez said.

After just two hours of surgery and four days of recovery time, Pudlicki was able to return to work. Two weeks after the surgery Pudlicki said she could see a big change.

"I feel great, I am very satisfied (with the surgery)," Pudlicki. "My self esteem feels a hundred percent, I feel a hundred percent and I am very pleased with Dr. Stevens. He did a wonderful job."

There are however, possible complications with this procedure, like swelling and bleeding, said Gutierrez. The body could also reject the mesh. And eventually, over the course of time, gravity will again take its toll. So it's possible patients will need another $6,500 surgery to maintain the benefits.