October is not just a time for leaf-crunching (I love you, crunchy leaves!), candy-munching (I also heart you, candy!) and carving pumpkins (I love you, pumpkins!) – But it’s also National Breast Cancer Month (I super love you, breasts!) And now that we’ve got our breasts on our minds, let’s pair (Tee-hee!) that with some exciting new research that was reported on at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in Boston, MA.

This may sounds like it’s out of some Science Fiction movie, but it's is actually out of Australia! That probably perked up… your ears. (I’m sorry, I can’t stop myself.)

Apparently some Aussie-scientists took some time out from wrangling alligators to study a new procedure called Neopec that could widen the choices for women opting for reconstruction after a mastectomy. Currently, breast cancer survivors are limited to two choices after surgery: implants and tissue transplants from other parts of the body. But two super-survivor lady heroes in Australia have been participating in the Neopec study that involves actually growing a new breast! (GROWING A NEW BREAST!)

Here’s how: a surgeon inserts an acrylic form (like the cup of a swimsuit) under the skin! Then blood vessels are rerouted from under the arm and connected to a tablespoon of fatty tissue from the armpit! Then? Magic! (Okay it’s actually science… but same difference.) Over the course of several months, the tissue grows, filling the chamber with fat, blood vessels and possibly even nerves! (I do apologize for the ‘exclamation mark’ abuse. But, come on! This is exciting stuff!)


Director of the Bernard O’Brien Institute of Microsurgery (the developer of Neopec), Wayne Morrison has even more exciting research results to share! In trials, they’ve found that when the new tissue reaches the chamber walls, the cells intuit this and stop growing.

While study results on the super-survivor lady heroes are sealed for at least 18 months to allow for healing and hero follow-up, if all goes well, Neopec and other similar technologies could be available in as little as five years outside of the U.S. There are also plans to research the use of stimulants to speed up the process, and the use of a biodegradable breast form eradicating the need for a second surgery to remove it.

Of course there are some concerns.

"There are fears that growing a new breast could lead to a new malignancy," says Joseph Gryskiewicz, president-elect of the Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation.

But according to Morrison, "There's no evidence that tumor grown could occur in the reconstructed breast."

Of course, we here at Project Beauty will be watching Neopec’s development like a hawk and will report directly back to you, our people. That’s one small medical step for Aussie’s and one giant step for Breast-kind.