Breast augmentation

Breast Enlargement Creams: Myth or Reality?

9 June, 2024 · Updated on 29 September 2026

Updated on 29 September 2026 • Reviewed by Dr. Gustavo Sordo, plastic surgeon

Breast augmentation

We often see advertisements for breast enhancement creams . These ads promise users an increase in breast volume simply by applying these topical creams to their breasts. We ourselves have been surprised to find this advertising in supposedly official and accredited pharmacies and healthcare centers that sell these types of products to potential patients. What is myth and what is reality about these creams?

If you're looking for real breast augmentation, the surgical options and their price (starting from €6.400) are on the breast augmentation with implants page.

We must say that there is no scientific evidence on the matter , nor any publication issued to date that demonstrates that by using creams the breasts will grow and develop, acquiring the volume that the patient desires.

https://youtube.com/shorts/_ZjAiXMwql8?si=XPkRoV2Ii14otNbe

From a medical standpoint, it's important to explain why this is physiologically impossible. Breast growth depends on a systemic hormonal cascade, primarily estrogen, progesterone, and prolactin, which act through the bloodstream on hormone receptors located in the glandular tissue and the surrounding stroma. This cascade stimulates the proliferation of ducts, lobules, and connective tissue, as well as promoting fat deposition in the region. No substance applied topically to the skin can replicate this stimulus: the epidermis acts as a barrier designed precisely to prevent the passage of macromolecules. Even if some components were minimally absorbed, the amount that would reach the breast parenchyma would be negligible and, above all, incapable of generating the cell division and new tissue growth actually needed to increase breast volume.

The only real alternatives we have to increase the breast size are:

The use of breast implants : implants remain the gold standard for breast augmentation. Breast augmentation with implants is the most widely used method. This method has evolved, and thanks to scientific advancements, today, with just 50 minutes of surgical technique, without the use of drains or bandages, and with arm mobilization within the first 24 hours, optimal results are achieved when the "24h Recovery" technique is applied at Dr. Sordo's clinic in Madrid. This is the only technique that allows the patient to efficiently return to their normal life without negatively impacting their daily routine.

• The use of lipografts or fat transfers. this option is not a solid alternative today, since it may have a series of drawbacks such as: the generation of microcalcified lesions in the breasts that can lead to confusion in radiological examinations that the patient undergoes later, and the need to have a donor area in the patient that provides us with sufficient fatty tissue to perform this augmentation. There are very thin patients who do not have enough fat to be transferred. In addition, we must be aware that to achieve a volume of about 300cc, which is the average volume required by breast implant patients, we would have to perform at least two or three fat transfer surgeries.

Therefore, we can conclude that breast enhancement creams are a myth . The only effect you'll achieve by applying them to your breasts is increased hydration and, consequently, a slight improvement in the skin's appearance. If you want a real breast augmentation, you should consult a plastic and cosmetic surgeon for breast augmentation with implants. If you'd like Dr. Sordo to review your case, schedule a no-obligation appointment.

Many of these creams include plant extracts with phytoestrogens (soy, pueraria mirifica, hops, etc.) presented as a "natural" alternative to hormones. It is important for patients to understand that, although these compounds can bind weakly to estrogen receptors, their potency is far lower than that of the natural hormone, and when applied as a cream, they do not reach a sufficient systemic concentration to produce any real proliferative effect on the gland. What can happen, however, is that local skin reactions, such as contact dermatitis, may occur, without any benefit in return. Therefore, when there is a genuine desire for breast augmentation, the honest thing for surgeons to do is to guide patients toward options with evidence and predictable results, such as breast implants or fat transfer, and not toward products that only create false expectations.