The push-up bra you have fitted UNDER the skin

Doctors have created an 'internal bra' which claims to do away with the need for the lingerie version.

The harness-like device is inserted under the skin in a 40-minute keyhole operation performed under local anaesthetic - meaning a patient can go into hospital in the morning and return home after lunch.

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The procedure should also be cheaper than a traditional breast lift, which costs around £4,000 and often requires an overnight stay in hospital.

The Cup & Up bra is the brainchild of a leading Israeli plastic surgeon.

It is similar in shape to a fabric bra, but is made of silicone, the plastic already used in breast implants.

Surgeons make two stab-like cuts less than a centimetre wide underneath each breast.

Silicone cups similar in shape to the cup of a traditional bra are then inserted around 1cm below the skin.

Fine straps or "threads" are fitted next.

These are attached to the ribs between the breast and the shoulder with a pair of titanium screws.

Then they are stitched to the cups and everything is tightened to lift the breasts into a more "youthful" position.

Cup & Up's creator Dr Eyal Gur said: "A woman will be able to go home from hospital after a recovery period of a few hours.

"She will be able to go back to work after maybe three days rest at home."

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Dr Gur, head of microsurgery at Tel Aviv's Sourasky medical centre, believes the positive effect on the patient's appearance will be enduring, with a follow-up operation perhaps only needed ten years later, to tighten the device if it "gives" over time.

Scarring is claimed to be minimal and the softness of the materials is designed to maximise comfort.

Dr Gur says the degree of support is such that a normal bra would only be required when playing sport.

The procedure for a traditional breast lift requires a general anaesthetic and lasts up to three hours.

Excess skin is removed, the breast tissue is reshaped and the nipple is moved upwards.

Implants can be added to boost the size of the lifted breast. However-the effect does not last forever, and age, weight gain and pregnancy can all take their toll.

The new operation, known as minimally invasive mastopexy, has already caught the attention of many women, according to Dr Gur.

"I am being inundated by ladies who want to be the first patient to have this operation," he said.

"There is real excitement. It is such a simple concept, it's surprising no one has thought it before."

Trials are due to start soon, with the first operation expected to take place in the autumn in Belgium.

If all goes well, Cup & Up could be available for use by plastic surgeons-next summer. However there was some scepticism from British experts.

They warned that there is a risk the silicone cups could harden under the skin and that women with larger breasts may feel the device pulling against their ribs.

Lisa Sacks, a consultant plastic surgeon and a member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said: "The problem is the type of skin a person has.

"If you haven't got good quality skin you can do what you want, but your breasts will droop again. You can't stop gravity."