Having look-at-me breasts never appealed to this naturally petite New Yorker — so she bundled up for “sweater boob” season.
Working in wealth management in Manhattan, Lauren couldn’t imagine being comfortable boasting a bulging pair of fake ones beneath her business-casual tops around the office. The look just wasn’t for her.
However, in June, the 30-something blond — who chose to withhold her last name for privacy purposes — realized that she wasn’t altogether content with her dainty 32A chest, either. To her, the small mounds failed to adequately reflect her fetching femininity. They didn’t quite fill out a form-fitting sweater.
So, she decided to go under the knife, not for over-the-top fullness — but for fashion.
“I got the sweater boob surgery because I wanted to look good and feel good in professional settings,” Lauren told The Post. “I feel more confident in my outfits. It’s the aesthetic I’ve always wanted.”
The suddenly trendy cosmetic surgery became known among Big Apple tastemakers as the “sweater boob” thanks to the cheeky nickname for the “elegant” augmentation coined by board-certified plastic surgeons Ryan Neinstein and Anna Steve of Neinstein Plastic Surgery on the Upper East Side.
‘Last year, my son was late to school every day because it would take me so long to find something to put on … Now he’s on time every day because this surgery made my life so much easier’
Eve Dadon, 32, of Long Island, on how her newly “small breasts stand up, look natural and make me feel good about what I’m wearing.”
In July, Lauren underwent the newly buzzy breast-enhancement procedure, amplifying her once-diminutive décolletage to a pleasantly plump yet unassuming 32C.
After decades of clients clamoring for artificially bulging bust lines popularized by “Baywatch” babes and porn stars, surgeons report that women are now opting for more a more subtle look.
“Patients used to provide us with inspiration pictures of [well-endowed] women in bikinis or topless,” Neinstein told The Post, noting that large implants had been in high demand for the last decade.
“But over the past year,” he continued, “we’ve noticed a trend of women asking for smaller, more elegant implants because they want to look good in their everyday clothes.”
Neinstein credits the pandemic-inspired rise in cozy fashion with the recent lean toward tinier chest installations. He says about 40% of his Gen Z and millennial patients — most of whom are working moms hoping to cut a chic physique in the boardroom or the school drop-off line — are now demanding the mini mammary boost.
“Here in the Northeast, we’re dealing with cold weather most of the time,” the physician said. “My office is seeing more inspiration pictures of women in tight sweaters because our patients want subtle breast enhancements that complement their fall and winter wardrobe.”
And he’s right — more women are going itty-bitty or bust.
A January report on current plastic surgery trends from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons stated, “People now want to be moderately breasted … It’s a trend [away] from the very voluptuous feminine look we have seen previously.”
Even established fashionistas such as Chrissy Teigen, Ayesha Curry and Victoria Beckham have reportedly opted for smaller, more true-to-life bosoms in recent years. Ahead of the decreased curve, Teigen, 37, revealed in 2020 that her move away from the hulking accoutrements was, in part, due to her desire to “zip [into] a dress in my size.”
More recently, self-crowned cosmetic-surgery sleuth Dana Omari — a digital content creator who prides herself on sniffing out secret celebrity nip-tucks — told The Post she thinks “Good 4 U” singer Olivia Rodrigo, now 20, has likely adorned her svelte frame with a set of low-volume implants for “more projection, more roundness … and a natural[-looking] lift.”
Neinstein told The Post the surgery, much like its results, is simple and sweet.
“The techniques of the sweater boob procedure are similar to those used in most other breast-augmentation surgeries,” he said. However, he noted that the recovery period for the smaller add-ons is only three weeks rather than the standard six weeks.
“The difference is in the size,” the doc added. He will also often transfer some extracted belly fat into the breast, padding out the little implant for a softer and artful appearance. “Now women are only going up about one cup size, whereas [in the 2010s] they were going up three and four sizes.”
Eve Dadon, a married mom of three sons from Long Island, went from a bra size 36A to a full 36B after getting the sweater boob surgery in May.
And while her embellishments might be minor, she told The Post they’ve majorly improved her look.
“Being able to wake up in the morning, put on a cute sweater without a bra and head out the door for work has completely changed my life,” said Dadon, 32, a laser hair removal technician, who chose not to share her face for privacy reasons. “I feel so much cuter, so much sexier when I get dressed each day, because I’m able to wear whatever I want and still look modest.”
She says the slight bump to her bust has even benefited her boys, who range in age from 2 to 7.
“Last year, my son was late to school every day because it would take me so long to find something to put on,” Dadon said. “Now he’s on time every day because this surgery has made my life so much easier.”
“I love that I have these small breasts that stand up, look natural and make me feel good about what I’m wearing.”
