Hello boys! iPhone app shows what you would look like if you had a breast enlargement

Last updated at 6:42 PM on 9th May 2011

Do the pictures of you on your boyfriend's Facebook page look a little perkier that real life? He must have the iAugment iPhone app, a new tool that lets you increase the size of your bust on photos.

The free app is aimed at women who are thinking of getting a boob job and want to know what they would look like first - but we imagine it will be used in all sorts of other creative ways too.

iAugment is the brainchild of US plastic surgeon Elizabeth A. Kinsley, from New Orleans, who was the first doctor to employ 3D imaging technology to show women what they will look like after surgery.

Temporary measure: The iPhone app lets you choose how much bigger you would like your breasts to look

It allows iPhone users to take a picture of themselves - or their girlfriend - and virtually boost their cup size.

Users start by taking a photo of their chest - the makers of the app say that pictures taken in a bra or bathing suit work best - before using two on screen cursors to mark out the breasts.

Fun first step: Dr Elizabeth A. Kinsley uses 3D technology to show women what they will look like after surgery

They then expand the cursor to cover the boobs, before choosing from 17 different sizes of virtual implant, ranging from 210cc to 690cc.

A single cup size is around 190cc, so the app enables women to see what they will look like with their breasts boosted up to three cup sizes.

But, rather than fork out for the expensive procedure, the app is designed as a 'fun first step' for women who are considering going under the knife.

If you get the positioning slightly wrong before enlarging, the app can make the bigger boobs look very uneven. But if women are happy with their results, they can use the app to find their nearest approved plastic surgeon.

Dr. Kinsley said: 'Breast augmentation can be a complicated procedure with women asking questions like "what will they look like?" or "what size is right for me".

'This is designed to give them the best idea possible of how they might look after surgery.

'You can show your friends, your boyfriend or your husband and say "what do you think?"'

Since it was launched on Apple's App Store, iAugment has received over 7,000 ratings.

Some have worried that the app might encourage people who were otherwise ambivalent towards surgery to go under the knife.

Irresponsible? The free app might make surgery seem more like an easy and viable option

But the vast majority of comments have been positive.

Reviewing the app, one user, Shannelbirmingham, said: 'It's good 2 see what your breast look like enhanced..Also great to fool ppl on the net x' (sic).

Another customer, Claire Kilburn, 36, said: 'I'd been thinking of getting a boob job for a while but wondered what it would look like.

'This was a great way to visualise how it would look and which sort of size I could boost by bust-size too.

'I'm definitely considering going through the procedure now and have booked an appointment with a plastic surgeon.'

Men have also, perhaps unsurprisingly, been quick to see the potential of the app for slyly boosting their wives and girlfriend's assets.

Builder Jim Slater, 38, from Birmingham, said: 'I think it's great, we've all thought about what our missus would look like if her boobs were a bit bigger, and now you don't have to fork out loads of money to find out.

'I wouldn't pay for her to get the real thing done though, I'd never afford that, but a fella can dream, can't he?'