Fat Transplantation/Breast Augmentation

Fat transplantation involves primarily using liposuction to remove fat from other parts of the body and then injecting it into the breasts. It is an option for women who are seeking a minor increase in breast size and want a natural result.

Who is a good candidate for breast fat transplantation?
Natural breast augmentation with fat grafting yields varying results compared to breast augmentation with implants. Fat grafting can only provide a moderate increase in breast size and an improvement in shape.

For patients experiencing a gaping space at the top of their bra, injection of fat into this area can provide more fullness. This can help to fill out their bra size, but it will not necessarily change their actual bra size.

What are the risks of fat transfer breast augmentation?
Risks of fat transplantation for breast augmentation include:

• Cysts
• Infection
• Microcalcification
• Necrosis (death) of fat cells
• The possibility that some of the transferred fat cells will leave the breast area

You may need to have touch-up injections to maintain your enhanced shape if you choose this surgery.

Benefits of fat transfer breast augmentation injections
Breast augmentation with fat can provide the desired result. Fat is taken from areas with excess fat and injected into the breasts to enhance them. A significant advantage is that the procedure uses the woman’s own fat, so there is no need for implants. If it heals and functions well, the breasts will look larger and more natural. The incision for the liposuction procedure is small, only four millimeters, making it less invasive and offering a quicker recovery.

Limitations of breast augmentation injections
The expansion of breast tissues increases blood flow to the breasts, but it cannot support a large amount of fat. It is only possible to inject small amounts of fat because fat lacks its own blood supply for survival. Fat injections only increase cup size.

However, there is no such limitation with breast implants. Limitations of fat injections include:

• No improvement in sagging breasts
  While fat injections can help to enlarge cup size, they will not improve the appearance of sagging breasts. A breast lift may be required to firm the breasts.
• The possibility of fat survival
  Injected fat does not have its own blood supply, so it relies on the blood supply in the breasts. This limits the amount of fat that can be injected into the breasts.

If too much fat is injected into the breasts, it is unlikely to be reabsorbed by the body and can become hard. With the reabsorption of fat, there will not be an increase in breast size.

• Problems with breast screening inspection
  Due to the fat injected into the breasts, it becomes difficult to screen the breasts with mammography. In some cases, mammography has shown calcification, which is linked to breast cancer in women.

However, a breast biopsy confirmed that there were no traces of breast cancer. Doctors found that the calcification shown in the mammogram occurred when the fat cells died and clumped together. These clustered calcifications were mistaken for those calcifications linked to breast cancer.

Is breast augmentation injection therapy safe?
Some women consider this procedure not as risky as having breast implants and that it can be an affordable breast augmentation procedure. However, this treatment may not provide effective results as the fat, once removed from an area, might not survive when injected into the breasts. Additionally, like all other surgeries, this treatment can cause infections.

Your doctor may not promise that the results after the surgery will be 100 percent. In some cases, the injected fat can damage the surrounding tissues, causing damage to the breast tissue and permanently harming the breasts.

It is wise to consult with your doctor to discuss the possible side effects of the breast augmentation injection procedure.

What is involved in breast augmentation with fat transplantation?
Fat transplantation to the breast involves harvesting and transferring fat cells to a more desirable location, in this case, the breasts. Fat is harvested via a standard liposuction technique. Most patients choose to remove fat from their love handles, abdomen, or hips.

This unwanted fat is then sterilely processed in the operating room by the plastic surgeon. The processed fat is then placed in small syringes and safely injected into the breast tissue to enhance the size of the breast and cleavage and then provide the upper pole fullness often lost after pregnancy and breastfeeding.

What if your breasts sag after pregnancy and need a lift?
Combining fat transplantation to the breast with a breast lift is one of my favourite operations for new mothers. The lift restores the shape and position of the breasts, and the added fat gives back the volume and fullness they had lost.

What is the recovery like for this operation?
Recovery from fat grafting to the breast is usually well tolerated by patients. The liposuction area can have a burning sensation that persists for some time, but the breasts are often less sore. There are very few restrictions after a liposuction procedure.