planetdan

Thursday, July 17, 2008 :::

It's Alive!

Something strange is afoot on my mantle. My used fake breast seems to be self-inflating:

And the level of the liquid inside seems to be waning still, too. But there is no leak to be found anywhere and the mantle itself shows no sign of staining. I'm certain there is some scientific explanation for this phenomenon, some evaporation/osmosis/barometric pressure solution I would guess, but my main concern is that this trend will continue until the eventual explosion of said used fake breast, and I'd rather prevent that from happening if at all possible.

So if there is a physics expert out there who might be able to explain to me what gives and if I should seek shelter, that would be helpful, kthnxbye.

ps. I find it sad that my breast implant posts seem to trigger a lot of mail-order Asian bride ads.

::: posted by dan at 8:59 PM :: [ link ] :: (13) comments

Comments are Closed On this Post

13 previous comments:

I'd say its the reduced pressure from being outside the body. I had a bag of trail mix do this when I went way up in the mountains in California.

By

Anonymous, at 3:43 PM

I went back to the original post and there was air in it then. It's summer and heat expands air. Liquids expand also, but much less so. The difference in ratio probably makes it appear there is less liquid.

Put it in the fridge overnight. See what it looks like in the morning.

By

Erik, at 3:50 PM

The anonymous poster above's thought of pressure is good, but the change should have been seen soon after it was removed from the chest. It shouldn't take a month for pressure differences to equalize.

By

Erik, at 3:52 PM

I am the owner of the other fake implant. Unlike Dan I had to purchase mine. Needless to say the one I had broke open and leaked. Can anyone answer how does an implant stay in a body for 5 years and have no problems and rupture in a few months after being removed?

On a side note I used the one I had on my desk as a paper weight until my boss asked me to get rid of it.

Viva La Dan!!!

T-Bone

By

Anonymous, at 7:28 PM

Maybe it's working as some kind of breast-y barometer...you know, a Dolly Parton day means you should grab your umbrella, a Kate Hudson day means time for the beach.

It could be a useful thing!

By

DaphneOH, at 10:55 PM

Your mantel looks like a photo from a Pottery Barn catalog...

By

Anonymous, at 12:38 PM

If it's a temperature/evaporation thing, you can find out by placing it in the fridge for a while. If it is, the implant should deflate a bit, and the fluid level should rise again.

By

Anonymous, at 6:09 PM

Tbone, what the heck did you do with that fake boob to make it rupture, rough sex? dang...

By

Anonymous, at 9:51 PM

It looks kinda like an eco sphere. Have you checked for tiny sea monkeys?

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---A, at 1:25 PM

I'm 99% sure that it's gas diffusion. I could cite my graduate degree for credibility, but I don't want to sound pretentious.

The implant shell is slightly permeable to nitrogen, of which our atmosphere is primarily composed. Prior to removal, there was zero nitrogen on the inside (we wouldn't want her breasts to get the bends). After removal, the nitrogen wants to move from high concentration (the air) to low concentration (the implant), even if there's a membrane in the way.

So, since it's more permeable to nitrogen than to saline, all of this gas is moving in but the membrane isn't letting an equivalent mass of saline out. So that's why it's swelling. It's like a greenhouse, only instead of heat/sunlight it's nitrogen.

It will break eventually. Put a tray under it.

By

animalism, at 1:27 PM

maybe the liquid is evaporating? the photo looks like it has some water droplets inside... XP

By

iamnotfrodo, at 9:25 AM

If I brought it with me to Denver, it would have exploded for sure!

C-

By

Anonymous, at 9:47 PM

Yeowz! The concept of fake boobs freak me out. Now even more so that it is inflating.

By

Monkey, at 9:12 PM

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