I couldn't believe what I was reading. "Breast enlargement surgery has become the SECOND most popular plastic surgery procedure." I asked myself, why would perfectly healthy women pay the high costs and endure the long recovery time of surgery just to have larger breasts? I decided to ask some friends who I knew had undergone the procedure.

One reason that I had never thought of is that dramatic weight loss, childbirth, or age can change the shape of the breasts. That's why my friend Tanya had breast augmentation done. "After I lost 40 pounds," she says, "I felt better about my body but wasn't happy with how my breasts looked anymore. When I lost weight, they just emptied out. Without a bra, they completely sagged." For her, having breast enlargement surgery was a no-brainer and had an unexpected benefit. "Getting the implants gave me another push to lose weight," Tanya says. "I wanted the rest of my body to be as beautiful as my breasts."

Brooke, on the other hand, had always been dissatisfied with her natural breast size. She takes after her mother and finally decided that she was going to improve on what nature gave her for her own self-esteem. "I just love how it looks, and my boyfriend really does, too," says Brooke,. "My mom said that if she was my age again, she'd do it, too."

My friend Claire was up front about her reason for having her breasts done. "Guys see women with big boobs as sex objects," she says. "I was always catching my husband staring at other women's boobs, so I decided to get mine done." Did it work, I asked her? Not completely, Claire admitted. "He loves my new boobs, but he still checks out other women."

All of these reason are valid for the women who gave them; however, ALL surgery carries a potential risk, never mind the expense and recovery time. That may be why many women who are dissatisfied with their current breast size are turning to natural breast augmentation alternatives to make their breasts larger and/or fuller. The friends I talked to got me to thinking, but, if I ever do decide that breast enlargement is right for me, I'll be going the natural route. I'm not going under the knife unless I have to.