Until a few decades ago, it was generally accepted that women were stuck with whatever breast size they grew into in puberty, with some minor fluctuations during pregnancy or nursing, but now women are able to enlarge their breasts with pills, surgery and possibly even exercise.

One of the healthiest ways to give the appearance of breast enhancement is to exercise and tone the pectoral muscles under the breast. While the breast itself does not have any muscle, firming the pectorals will give the breasts a solid base to work from and improves breast appearance.
A simple exercise that can assist with this is the butterfly. Most health clubs have weight machines that will create this motion or it can be done at home. Arms should be bent at the elbow and held parallel to the body. Then the forearms are drawn together in front of the chest. For faster results, hand weights can be held while performing the exercise.

Another way to truly create breast enhancement is with a variety of herbal supplements designed to restimulate the mammary glands to grow. These pills are supposed to convince the body to revert to puberty and finish what it started: growing breasts. Manufacturers of the pills argue that for whatever reason, poor nutrition, insufficient hormones, or because of an unknown cause, some women's breasts simply did not finish developing. Breast enhancement pills are designed to recreate the proper hormone atmosphere for the breasts to complete their natural growth.

Breast enhancement lotions work on a similar principle, but require that the herbal formula be applied via lotion directly to the breast instead of taking a pill. This method appeals to people who are not comfortable with taking pills. In addition, the lotion have the added benefit of stimulating blood flow to breasts, prompting the enhancement to begin sooner.

Two of the more controversial forms of breast enhancement are similar, but not the same: silicon implants and saline implants. Both forms of implants require surgery and are expensive procedures. The difference between the two is that silicon implants are potentially hazardous if they rupture and saline implants are filled with salt water. If a saline implant ruptures, the water can be absorbed by the body. Implant surgery is considered the most reliable form of breast augmentation and the other difference between saline and silicon implants involves how natural the implants feel once the healing is completed. Women considering breast enhancement via implant surgery need to do thorough research into the qualifications of their chosen plastic surgeon and evaluate the risks of the surgery. Like most cosmetic surgery, surgery for breast enhancement has minimal side effects, but women should be comfortable with those potential risks before committing to the surgery.

The science of breast enhancement has developed greatly since the days of "Little Women" and chants of "We must increase our bust!", but the options are still limited. Women must be willing to determine how committed they are to fuller bust line and make the decision from there.