When you see a skinny lady of a certain age with large and perky breasts, you may wonder if they're implants. "Real 'C' cups start sagging by the time you're 30," says a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. So, rather than getting breast implants, some are now seeking a subtler way to increase breast size. The January 2013 issue of Marie Claire discusses the latest trends.

Fat Transfer or Injection
If you don't want the stigma of implants, you can increase your breast size with fat. Assuming you've got extra fat to spare from love handles or saddle bags, it can be injected into your breasts. First you undergo liposuction and then your own fat is either injected into your breasts or processed. The advantages of this treatment are that you will have no scars, your breasts may feel more natural, and no one will know that you have had any work done. Further, if you gain weight, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon says that the weight will go straight to your chest.

But there are disadvantages too. This process requires as much recovery time as implant surgery because of soreness from the liposuction. Further, it costs about $1,000 more for less volume. Only about 50 to 60 percent of the fat, which equals about a half to a full cup size, remains permanent after six months. The rest of the fat is metabolized by the body and the procedure can take up to six times as long as the standard 30-minute implant surgery.

Other innovations
Some doctors now have Vectra 3-D Imaging Devices, which can inflate your chest photographically, so you can see what you will look like. Or, if you wonder what will be the most flattering proportion for you, there is an app for a computerized program that uses chest dimensions and nipple spacing to calculate your perfect cup size and most perfect silhouette.
A graceful slope to the upper part of the breast looks natural compared with an upper bulge, which looks fake. You can look ahead to more anatomically-shaped teardrop implants with gummy-bear like silicone filling that help prevent that bulging look on top.

In Istanbul there are even plans for creating implants specific to the right or left side. And there is an implant that contains multiple smaller saline-filled sacks nested together.

For the most reliable information about what's available to you for breast augmentation, contact a board-certified plastic surgeon.