Breast Augmentation with Fat Transfer

Breast augmentation is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures in the United States. But not everyone wants to have breast implants, so what should you do?

Many women opt for breast augmentation with fat transfer. This procedure uses fat from another part of the woman’s body to increase the size of her breasts. The plastic surgeon uses liposuction to remove fat from the abdomen, flanks, or thighs, then injects it into the breasts for a natural breast augmentation. 

Women who are considering breast augmentation with fat transfer should consider the facts about the procedure below.

Fat Transfer Overview

As noted above, this procedure involves using liposuction to remove fat from one part of the body and injecting it into the breasts.

The surgeon removes fat from an area the patient wants to slim, washes and processes it, and carefully injects it into the breasts.

Not all of the transferred fat will survive, which is why the surgeon will slightly overfill the breasts. Usually, about 50-60% of the transferred fat survives.

Fat Transfer Advantages

Some of the advantages of breast augmentation with fat transfer are:

All Natural

The most significant benefit is that the woman uses her own tissue, so there are no breast implants. While breast implants are safe, some women are concerned about placing them in their bodies. They also worry that the results may look unnatural.

Subtle Size Increase

Fat transfer is a subtle way for women to increase the sizes of their breasts; this procedure might give the woman a one-cup increase in size, at most. This is a good choice for someone who wants to improve the appearance of their chest, but without making it obvious, she had work done.

Breasts Look And Feel Natural

As long as the fat heals well and is accepted by the new area, the breasts will feel completely natural. Also, fat augmentation is ideal if the woman has some breast sagging because a looser breast pocket allows more transferred fat to survive.

Two Procedures In One

Many women like the idea of having liposuction combined with breast augmentation. You can remove fat from a problem area, such as the flanks, and have it injected into your breasts. Getting two highly desirable procedures performed at once often gives women a boost in self-confidence.

Excellent Safety Record

When the procedure is used to increase the size of healthy breasts, the safety record is excellent, and there are few complications.

In cases where the procedure is used for breast reconstruction, there also is a low complication rate compared to breast implants, and most patients are delighted with the results.

Doesn’t Interfere With Breast Cancer Screening

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons did not recommend this procedure for breast augmentation; there was concern that it could make it harder to screen women for breast cancer.

But recent data shows there isn’t any evidence that breast augmentation with fat transfer causes this problem.

Fat Transfer Disadvantages

Breast augmentation with fat transfer isn’t for everyone, so please consider these points:

1 Cup Size Limit

Breast augmentation with this procedure is usually limited to one cup size. This is because fat does not have blood to nourish it, so only so much fat can be added safely.

For most women, an A-cup will increase to a B-cup. If you want larger breasts, you’ll probably need to have silicone or saline breast implants.

No Breast Lift

If you have drooping breasts, this procedure will not help. Adding volume to the breasts can make sagging worse. But you can have a breast lift at the same time to give you the results you want.

Unknown Fat Survival

Fat lacks a blood supply, so it is dependent on the blood supply in your breasts. This is why only so much fat can be injected. However, if your surgeon injects too much fat, it will reabsorb or even harden, and you could wind up with smaller or deformed breasts.

Your surgeon will have a good idea of how much fat to inject for the best results, but there is always a degree of uncertainty with this procedure.

Certain Amount Of Fat Is Needed

You need to have enough fat available in other parts of your body for a successful procedure. Most plastic surgeons say they need at least 1,000 ml of fat for breast augmentation to work. If you don’t have that amount of fat available, you probably need breast implants.

Recovery

Breast augmentation with fat transfer is surgery and requires general anesthesia and downtime. Your initial recovery will take from one to three days, and you could have swelling and pain for a few weeks.

Full results are usually visible within six months.

Outlook

Breast augmentation with fat transfer is an excellent choice for women who want a slight size increase and a natural look. Talk to your board-certified plastic surgeon today to decide if this procedure will work for you.

References

Breast Augmentation Procedure by Dr. Otto Placik. (n.d.). Accessed at https://www.bodysculptor.com/breast/breast-augmentation/

Pros And Cons Of Autologous Breast Augmentation. (2021). Accessed at https://www.verywellhealth.com/bigger-breasts-without-getting-implants-pros-cons-2709949#:~:text

Breast Augmentation With Fat Grafting. (n.d.). Accessed at https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/fat-transfer-breast-augmentation

Breast Augmentation With Fat Transfer. (n.d.) Accessed at https://aedit.com/procedure/breast-augmentation-with-fat-transfer