Superstar Kim Kardashian‘s recent appearances have fuelled speculation among fans that the mother of four has undergone cosmetic procedures on her breasts.
The reality TV mogul, 44, who is thought to have breastfed two of her children, nearly spilled out of a low-cut red leather dress at a party in Los Angeles last week.
It came just a week after she released a set of revealing photographs, as part of a campaign for her fashion brand SKIMS, which also sparked rumours of surgery.
The images (below) show the star posing in a barely-there bikini that exposes her perfectly round and lifted breast shape.
One, writing on social media website Reddit, said: ‘Someone who has had two kids naturally doesn’t have breasts like that without implants. That’s just life.’
Another added: ‘She definitely has implants here like lol there’s zero denying?’, and another: ‘She’s in great shape but pics like this make you realise how wild it is that she wants us to believe her boobs are 100% natural’.
The business woman has admitted using carefully-positioned tape to give her chest a boost in certain outfits, but has firmly denied undergoing a breast augmentation.
Speaking to MailOnline, one of the most senior cosmetic surgeons in the country said while a minority of women have their breasts bounce back after pregnancy, most need an implant and lift to achieve a similar affect.
Kim Kardashian, 44,has faced another wave of speculation she has had work done on her breasts. Here Kim is pictured at a holiday party in Los Angeles last week
Kim almost spilled out of her low-cut red leather grommeted dress that evening
Nora Nugent, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said while it was possible for some women’s breasts to return to their former shape post-pregnancy, such cases were the exception.
‘It’s possible, but not common,’ she said.
‘There are a small group who have essentially gone back to where they were before pregnancy but most women have some change.’
She explained that as a result of pregnancy and breastfeeding, breast tissue undergoes a series of fundamental changes.
‘When milk production stops the glands in the breast get narrower because the hormonal situation essentially goes back to that of pre-pregnancy and the breast shrinks down,’ she said.
‘But because the skin and tissue has been stretched it doesn’t always go back to where it was before.’
Ms Nugent said an increasing number of new mothers seek cosmetic surgery to help get their breasts back to where they were before children.
This most often takes the form of a combination of an implant and a breast lift, though in some cases only one is required.
It came just a week after she released a set of revealing snaps in a furry bikini as part of promoting her SKIMS brand that caused a stir among fans who questioned if the now 44-year-old has had work done on her bust
One fan, writing on social media website Reddit, said: ‘Someone who has had two kids naturally doesn’t have breasts like that without implants. That’s just life’
The implant helps boost volume lost from the changes of pregnancy whilst the lift combats the sagging of breast tissue from the ‘stretch-shrink’ effect of pregnancy and breastfeeding.
A breast augmentation and a breast lift are two types of cosmetic surgery designed to enhance a woman’s bust.
An augmentation involves a surgeon placing an artificial device, round cases filled with either silicone or saline, to make the breasts bigger, fuller or more consistent.
In the operation,a surgeon normally makes a small incision in the natural crease to the side or below the breast and places the implant between the breast tissue and chest muscle or behind the chest muscle itself.
A breast lift involves a surgeon cutting away excess skin from the breast as well as repositioning breast tissue like the nipple with the aim of raising the breasts to be higher on the chest, appearing ‘perkier’.
Patients must be put under general anaesthetic for both operations, which each take around two hours. However some women opt to have both procedures done in one major operation.
Ms Nugent said British surgeons have seen a gradual increase in women seeking post-pregnancy procedures on their breasts, with the average combined implant and lift costing anywhere between £8,000 to £12,000 depending on the individual patient.
While not commenting on Kim’s case directly, Ms Nugent it was critical people speculating on images of celebrities bear in mind that reality isn’t often what it seems.
Kim, pictured left in 2006 and right in 2024, has spent more than a decade denying claims that she has had a breast augmentation
‘A lot of images of celebrities have also been photoshopped or (their outfits) may have tapes in place or other such maneuverers to create a look,’ she said.
Kim’s look has been the subject of plastic speculation for years.
In 2022 Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr Daniel Barrett told The Sun he estimated that Kim had spent up to $170,000 (£135,000) on surgery, including a boob job.
Rapper Cardi B has fuelled speculation on Kim’s plastic surgery history after she credited her with providing a list of plastic surgeon recommendations.
Kim herself has previously denied having plastic surgery on her breasts, writing on a now defunct blog in 2008 how she ‘had a size C [bust] since I was 11 years old.’
But she went on to say she would be open to the idea of surgery on her breasts after having children.
‘One day I will definitely get a lift, but I am waiting until after I have kids,’ she said. ‘Until then, I rely on a great supportive bra!’
Kim also joked two years later how she in need of breast lift.
In comments during a Nightline interview she said: ‘I’m totally not against plastic surgery.’
‘Trust me, honey, if I take this bra off you will tell me I need to get them done.’
However, four children later, two via surrogate, she has yet to confirm to having any work done.
While Kim has constantly denied plastic surgery accusations, she had been open been about some of other cosmetic procedures such as Botox injections and laser treatments on her skin.