Despite a frightening newspaper report from a British beauty journalist about the results, injecting hyaluronic acid into women's breasts for a bigger cup size is gaining popularity in Hong Kong.
A few plastic surgeons are offering the speedy procedure, and after a recent workshop to introduce the only European-approved brand (made by Swedish group Q-Med, which is also responsible for facial filler Restylane), several more are training in its use, according to representatives.
The hyaluronic acid-based breast augmentation substance is called Macrolane. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved it, but in Hong Kong, it is freely available if a doctor notifies local health authorities.
With facial fillers, there are many approved brand options, but the 'boob jab', as it has come to be known, is a newer procedure and has been on offer to the public for just a few years.
Macrolane biodegrades in the body over about 12 months, and allows women to increase their breasts by a cup size, on average. If more is injected for a bigger boost, however, problems can start.
Other areas, including calf muscles and men's pectorals, can also be better defined with the injections, the company claims in its brochures. The treatment can also be used to enhance buttocks.
Wilson Ho Wai-sun, a plastic surgeon in Central, says he now performs more 'lunchtime' procedures after a 20-30 per cent fall in hospital-based surgery over the past year, a change he attributes to people tightening their belts amid the recession.