HERE’S something I never thought I’d hear – that fake boobs “glow in the dark”.
At least, that’s according to TikTok users, many of whom are taking to the app to showcase their breast implant “superpower”.
It all started with content creator Julie Wise, whose clip has garnered close to 12 million views since she posted it in November.
“This morning I received a TikTok that said if you have fake boobs, they will glow in the dark,” she said.
“It does make sense because obviously the implant is clear.”
Julie grabbed a headlight, tentatively placed it under one of her breasts and switched off the lights of her bathroom.
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“I can’t make this up guys,” she exclaimed when a glowing pink globe emerged through the darkness.
“I can’t wait to show my family my new super power,” Julie cheekily captioned the video.
The viral clip inspired several others to try out the trick.
Stella Tzortzi thought the idea of breast implants glowing in the dark was “bulls***t”, but she decided to try it out anyway – and was gobsmacked when hers did too.
“It’s a big implant for sure, I get to see the whole thing,” she said in a post that’s garnered almost two million views.
“I couldn’t believe it. Just me and the implant looking at each other like.
“I think I could even see the brand on it.”
Content creator Mary Ashlee was similarly shocked at the results, saying “you’re joking right now” as she shone a light underneath one of her breasts.
So, why exactly might fake boobs light up like that when a light is shone through them? And is it something to be worried about?
We asked plastic surgery experts to find out.
Dr Roshan Ravindran, CEO and medical director at KLNIK, told Sun Health: “Don’t worry, your breast implants aren’t secretly radioactive but yes, there is a reason they sometimes look like they’re glowing.
“Implants are made from a different material to natural breast tissue.
“Similar, but not the same. When the lights are low and someone shines a torch, light travels through silicone or saline more cleanly than through fat and glandular tissue.
“So instead of being absorbed, it passes through, cue the ‘glow’.
“It’s not the implant lighting up. It’s light behaving differently.
“Think of it like holding a torch behind your fingers, suddenly they look red and translucent. Same physics, different anatomy.”
Nora Nugent, a cosmetic plastic surgeon and president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) told Sun Health: “It sounds like something called transillumination, which can happen with other tissues as well if they are thin and stretched or have fluid underneath and you then hold a bright light up against them.”
Plastic surgeon Dr Leonard Josipovic added: “What people are seeing in these videos isn’t breast implants ‘glowing’ in the dark, and it certainly isn’t the implant itself emitting light.
“When a strong torch, phone light or camera light is shone onto the breast, the light can pass through the skin and soft tissue, especially if that tissue is thinner.
“Silicone and saline implants do not produce light and have no luminous properties.
“What’s visible is simply light travelling through translucent tissue and reflecting differently depending on skin thickness, implant placement and surrounding anatomy.”
Is it more common in some people?
UK-based consultant plastic surgeon Patrick Mallucci told Sun Health “skinny people” with “relatively large implants” might be more likely to “glow in the dark”.
“It can be particularly apparent if you’re skinny, if your implants are sitting above your muscle, where everything is basically more exposed and less covered.”
But US-based plastic surgeon Joubin Gabbay says glowing implants may indicate you’ve gone a little too big.
Stitching another clip of a woman who placed a flashlight under her breasts, he said: “This woman has gigantic implants.
“Those implants have stretched her skin so much that the skin is just paper thin and it allows the light to shoot through it super easily.”
Dr Josipovic added: “This effect is more noticeable in people with less natural breast tissue, thinner skin, or implants placed above the muscle, but it can happen regardless of implant size or type.”
Should I be worried about my ‘glowing’ implants?
If your implants glow, does this mean there’s something wrong?
The short answer is no.
Dr Ravindran said: “It’s not common, it’s not dangerous, and it’s definitely not a sign something’s gone wrong.
“No rupture. No leak. No alien tech.
“Just optics, anatomy, and a bit of social-media drama and I love it!”
Meanwhile, Patrick said it’s more of a “good party trick” than something to worry about.
And Dr Josipovic stressed: “It is not a sign that something has gone wrong and doesn’t indicate a fault with the implant.
“It’s just basic physics at work, not anything new or unusual.”
