Abstract:
A method is provided for shaping breast tissue via a liquid adhesive that may be applied to an article of clothing and/or a portion of a breast of a user. The liquid adhesive can be applied to a breast or clothing of a user. The breast may then be positioned within the clothing to maintain the desired appearance. A liquid adhesive is further provided that includes a mixture of a polymer and a solvent, where the mixture has a pH ranging from about 6 to about 8 and where the solvent comprises denatured alcohol and water and where the polymer is selected from the group consisting of: a methacrylate copolymer; a polyquaternium cationic polymer, a poly(acrylic acid) polymer; an acrylate copolymer; and combinations of two or more of the foregoing.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/486,905, filed on May 17, 2011, titled BREAST SHAPING ADHESIVE AND METHODS FOR SHAPING BREASTS, which application is incorporated in its entirety by reference in this application. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to methods for enhancing one&#39;s appearance, and in particular, to methods for shaping breast tissue via a liquid adhesive that may be applied to an article of clothing and/or a portion of a breast of a user. 
     SUMMARY 
     A method is provided for shaping breast tissue via a liquid adhesive that may be applied to an article of clothing and/or a portion of a breast of a user. The method includes the steps of applying a liquid adhesive to a selected area of a breast of a user; and positioning the breast to achieve a desired appearance in a manner where at least a portion of the liquid adhesive is in contact with an article of clothing being worn by the user to maintain the desired appearance. 
     A method for shaping breast tissue is further provided that includes applying a liquid adhesive to an article of clothing and positioning at least a portion of a breast of a user within the article of clothing to achieve a desired appearance, where the applied liquid adhesive is in contact with the breast to maintain the desired appearance. 
     A liquid adhesive is further provided for use in connection with shaping one&#39;s breast, the liquid adhesive comprises a mixture of a polymer and a solvent, where the mixture has a pH ranging from about 6 to about 8 and where the polymer is selected from the group consisting of: a methacrylate copolymer; a polyquaternium cationic polymer; a poly(acrylic acid) polymer; an acrylate copolymer; and combinations of two or more of the foregoing and where the solvent comprises denatured alcohol and water. 
     Other devices, apparatus, systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       The invention may be better understood by referring to the following figures. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. In the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views. 
         FIG. 1A  is an image of an outer side area of a breast of a user that is not initially contained within an article of clothing. 
         FIG. 1B  is an image showing at least a portion of the outer side area of the breast being contained within the article of clothing via the liquid adhesive. 
         FIG. 2A  is an image showing the upper area of the breast of a user that is not initially contained within a bra. 
         FIG. 2B  is an image showing at least a portion of the upper area of the breast being contained within the bra via the liquid adhesive. 
         FIG. 3A  is an image showing how a first breast of a user may be maintained in contact with a second breast of the user via the liquid adhesive. 
         FIG. 3B  is an image showing how a first breast of a user may be separated from a second breast of the user via the liquid adhesive. 
         FIG. 4A  is an image showing lines associated with the décolleté area of a user before applying the liquid adhesive. 
         FIG. 4B  is an image showing substantial reduction of lines associated with the décolleté area of the user after application of the liquid adhesive. 
         FIG. 5A  is an image of the breasts of a user before being lifted to a lifted position. 
         FIG. 5B  is an image of the breasts of the user after being lifted to a lifted position and maintained in the lifted position via application of the liquid adhesive. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As discussed below in conjunction with  FIGS. 1A-3B , methods for shaping the breast tissue of a user via a liquid adhesive are provided herein. The liquid adhesive may be used to aesthetically enhance the appearance (i.e., to achieve a desired appearance) of the breast(s) of a user. 
     The term “liquid adhesive” is used herein to refer to any suitable adhesive, glue or epoxy resin that is provided in liquid form and may be applied to the breast tissue and/or clothing (e.g., bra) of a user for shaping at least one breast of the user and achieving a desired appearance. The liquid adhesive should be substantially neutral (e.g., having a pH ranging from about 6 to about 8) so as to be safe for contacting the skin of a user, and should meet all relevant FDA regulations. In some implementations, the liquid adhesive may be a hydroalcoholic system. The liquid adhesive may be washed from the skin of a user and/or the clothing of a user via soap and water. The liquid adhesive may be “water-activated,” such that water alone will cause the liquid adhesive to rebond with the clothing and/or the skin tissue of the user. Once the liquid adhesive is applied to the breast tissue and/or clothing of the user, the adhesive may substantially dry within a time period ranging from less than a minute to one or two minutes, for example. 
     In some implementations, the liquid adhesive may include a polymer mixed with a denatured solvent. For example, the liquid adhesive may include a methacrylate copolymer resin (e.g., an ethyl ester of polyvinylmethyl ether maleic acid (PVM/MA) Gantrez™-type copolymer) in a solvent including alcohol (e.g., denatured ethanol) and water. Any suitable denaturing agent may be utilized to denature the alcohol in the hydroalcoholic liquid adhesive system, such as t-butyl alcohol, brucine sulfate, sucrose octaacetate, sodium salicylate, salicylic acid, and the like. The polymer may include an anionic polymer such as the methacrylate copolymer resin discussed above. Other suitable types of polymers that may be utilized in conjunction with the present invention include, but are not limited to: acrylic acid type polymers; acrylate copolymer type polymers; polyquaternium cationic polymers; and the like. The liquid adhesive may include, any suitable additive (e.g., one or more fragrances). 
     As shown in Table 1 below, the liquid adhesive may include a variety of ingredients, with varying percentages of ingredients by volume. In some implementations, the liquid adhesive may include denatured ethanol ranging from about 10 vol % to about 55 vol %. In some implementations, the liquid adhesive may include polymeric resin ranging from about 5 vol % to about 40 vol %. In some implementations, the liquid adhesive may include glycol (a precursor to polymeric resins) ranging from about 2 vol % to about 10 vol %. In some implementations, the liquid adhesive may include any suitable neutralizer ranging from about 0.1 vol % to about 3.0 vol %. In some implementations, the liquid adhesive may include water ranging from about 10 vol % to about 55 vol %. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the compositional ranges shown in Table 1 are for illustrative purposes only, as the liquid adhesive utilized in conjunction with the present invention may include one or more of the ingredients shown in Table 1, in any suitable compositional amount. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 An example of compositional ranges of ingredients that may 
               
               
                 be present in the liquid adhesive of the present invention. 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Ingredients 
                 Range (vol %) 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Denatured Ethanol 
                 10-55% 
                   
               
               
                   
                 Polymer Resin 
                 5-40% 
               
               
                   
                 Glycol 
                 2-10% 
               
               
                   
                 Neutralizer 
                 0.1-3.0% 
               
               
                   
                 Water 
                 10-55% 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     The liquid adhesive of the present invention may be applied to the breast tissue and/or clothing (e.g., any suitable bra) of a user by any suitable means. For example, the liquid adhesive may be applied via a liquid adhesive-containing towlette or wipe. As another example, the liquid adhesive may be applied via a roll-on device, various implementations of which are known to those skilled in the art. Via application of the liquid adhesive to the breast tissue and/or the clothing of the user, the breasts of the user may be shaped to achieve a desired aesthetic appearance. For example, the user may apply the liquid adhesive to one breast (or both breasts) and/or an article of clothing, and may position the breast to achieve one or more of the following: lift, separation, reduction or elimination of décolleté lines or wrinkles, increased cleavage, reduced cleavage, stabilization (e.g., reduced bounce during walking or running, for example), or to secure the breast in an article of clothing such as a bra or low-cut dress. 
       FIG. 1A  is an image of an outer side area  100  of a breast of a user that is not initially contained within an article of clothing  102 . In order to conceal at least a portion of the outer side area  100  of the breast within the article of clothing  102 , the liquid adhesive described herein may be applied to the outer side area  100  of the breast and/or an inner portion of the article of clothing  102 . The user may then position at least a portion of the outer side area  102  of the breast within the article of clothing  102  so that the liquid adhesive forms a bond between the breast tissue of the outer side area  100  and the inner portion of the article of clothing  102  as the liquid adhesive dries.  FIG. 1B  is an image showing at least a portion of the outer side area  100  of the breast (that was initially outside of the article of clothing  102 ) being concealed within the article of clothing  102  via the applied liquid adhesive. 
       FIG. 2A  is an image showing the upper area  200  of a breast of a user that is not initially contained within a bra (not shown, as the bra is concealed by the shirt of the user). As shown, the upper area  200  is shown as bulging out from the bra, thus creating an undesired appearance. In order to reduce the bulging of the upper area  200 , the liquid adhesive described herein may be applied to the upper area  200  (i.e., underneath the shirt of the user) of the breast and/or an inner portion of the bra of the user. The user may then position at least a portion of the upper area  200  of the breast within the bra so that the liquid adhesive forms a bond between the breast tissue of the upper area  200  and the inner portion of the bra as the liquid adhesive dries.  FIG. 2B  is an image showing at least a portion of the upper area  200  of the breast (that was initially bulging from the top of the bra) being contained within the bra via the liquid adhesive. 
       FIG. 3A  is an image showing how a first breast  300  of a user may be maintained in contact with a second breast  302  of the user via the liquid adhesive (e.g., to create the desired appearance of increased cleavage). For example, the liquid adhesive of the present invention may be applied to the outer side portion of each breast  300 ,  302  (and/or the inner portion of the article of clothing that is to come in contact with the outer side portion of each breast  300 ,  302 ). The user may position each breast  300 ,  302  to create the desired amount of cleavage. As the liquid adhesive dries, a bond may be formed between the article of clothing and the breasts  300 ,  302  such that the breasts are maintained in the desired position to produce the increased cleavage. Application of the liquid adhesive to produce increased cleavage is not limited to the foregoing. It will be understood that the liquid adhesive may be applied to any suitable location of the breasts  300 ,  302  and/or the article of clothing, and each breast  300 ,  302  may be positioned in any suitable manner so as to produce the desired effect (i.e., increased cleavage). For example, the liquid adhesive may be applied between the two breasts  300 ,  302  (e.g., on the inner side surface of the first breast  300  and/or the inner side surface of the second breast  302 ) and the user may position the breasts  300 ,  302  such that the liquid adhesive forms a bond between the two breasts  300 ,  302  as the liquid adhesive dries, thus maintaining contact between the breasts  300 ,  302 . 
       FIG. 3B  is an image showing how a first breast  304  of a user may be separated (e.g., to create the desired appearance of reduced cleavage) from a second breast  306  of the user via the liquid adhesive. For example, the liquid adhesive may be applied to a middle section of each of the two breasts  304 ,  306  and/or the respective inner portion of each breast  304 ,  306  and/or the appropriate inner portion of the article of clothing, and the user may position the breasts  304 ,  306  such that the liquid adhesive forms a bond between the article of clothing and the breasts  304 ,  306  as the liquid adhesive dries, thus maintaining separation between the breasts  304 ,  306 . As described above in conjunction with  FIG. 3A , the liquid adhesive may be applied in any suitable location to produce the desired appearance (i.e., decreased cleavage). 
       FIG. 4A  is an image showing stretch marks and lines associated with the décolleté area  400  (i.e., including the chest area just above the breasts, as well as the upper portion of each breast) of a user before applying the liquid adhesive.  FIG. 4B  is an image showing substantial reduction of the stretch marks and lines associated with the décolleté area  402  of the user after application of the liquid adhesive. As discussed above in conjunction with  FIG. 3A , the liquid adhesive may be applied in any suitable location (e.g., to an inner side portion of each breast so as to form a bond between the inner side portion of each breast and the article of clothing), and the breasts may be positioned in any suitable manner (e.g., separated) to achieve the desired appearance (i.e., substantial reduction of stretch marks and/or lines in the décolleté area  400 ). As shown in  FIG. 4B , the liquid adhesive may be applied so as to maintain the breasts in a separated position, thus smoothing the skin in the décolleté area  402  and keeping new lines from forming. 
       FIG. 5A  is an image of the breasts  500 ,  502  of a user before being lifted to a lifted position.  FIG. 5B  is an image of the breasts  503 ,  504  of the user after being lifted to a lifted position. The lifted breasts  503 ,  504  may be maintained in the lifted position via application of the liquid adhesive. For example, the liquid adhesive may be applied to any suitable area of each breast  500 ,  502  and/or to the appropriate inner portion of the article of clothing, and the breasts  500 ,  502  may be lifted to a lifted position (see breasts  503 ,  504 ). As the liquid adhesive dries, a bond may be formed between the lifted breasts  503 ,  504  and the article of clothing (e.g., a bra), thus maintaining the lifted breasts  503 ,  504  in the lifted position. 
     Although the present disclosure describes in detail methods for shaping breast tissue via the application of the liquid adhesive, it will be understood that the liquid adhesive may be utilized for other purposes. For example, single mastectomy patients may utilize the liquid adhesive to achieve a desired appearance associated with the single natural breast and/or to adhere a prosthetic to the skin and/or to adhere a prosthetic bra to the skin. 
     The foregoing description has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not exhaustive and does not limit the claimed inventions to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above description or may be acquired from practicing the invention. The claims and their equivalents define the scope of the invention.