When most people hear “Brazilian,” they think about removing fur, and at first blush nothing seems less appealing to women than furry breasts, but the newest breast implant approved for use in Australia is known as the furry Brazilian. The breast implants, which have been in use in Brazil since the 1960s and in Europe for many years, are coated with a layer of polyurethane foam. Apparently, the foam significantly reduces the risk of capsular contracture, suffered by as many as 25 % of breast implant recipients according to one Mentor study, without increasing the risk of other complications.

Capsular contracture occurs when the pocket of scar tissue surrounding the breast implant, also known as the capsule, shrinks, squeezing the implant, making it hard and painful. However, according to doctors involved in the trial, the foam realigns the collagen fibers in the scar tissue, forming them into a circular pattern, rather than an end-to-end alignment. When the fibers are end-to-end, they can more easily slide over one another, the first step in contracture.

It is unknown when or if these new implants will be approved for use in the United States.