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Breast

Augmentation with Fat Grafting

Many women wish to increase the size and shape of the breasts but are concerned that a breast implant will look or feel too noticeable. For these patients, the breast augmentation fat grafting treatment process offers an alternative to the placement of breast implants. In the fat grafting technique, the patient’s own fat can be injected into the breasts to produce more volume and change. Bay Area plastic surgeon John R. Griffin is well trained in the breast augmentation fat grafting procedure, and can perform this technique on suitable candidates.

Candidates

The best candidates for breast augmentation via the fat grafting technique are women who wish to add conservative and natural volume to the breasts. Though fat transfer can offer excellent results, there are some limitations as to the increase in size and volume that can be achieved. Women who desire a dramatic increase in the size and shape of the breasts are better candidates for breast implants.

Patients who undergo breast fat grafting must also have a sufficient amount of fatty tissue. In order to add fat to the breasts, it must be harvested from another area of the body. The surgeon will extract this fat, through liposuction, from the stomach, hips, thighs, or other areas where excess fat has accumulated. Some women may not have enough fat elsewhere on the body for a sizeable increase in breast volume, and therefore are better candidates for breast augmentation with implants.

Good candidates for the fat grafting breast augmentation procedure should also be in good health, non-smokers, and have reasonable expectations about the results that can be achieved with this technique. They also must consult with our breast radiologist to determine candidacy. Some patients are not candidates for breast fat grafting.

Techniques

The breast augmentation fat grafting technique involves two stages of surgery:

Fat removal through liposuction: First, fat must be removed from other areas of the body. Dr. Griffin will use liposuction to harvest the fat cells. Once the fat cells are extracted from the body, they will be purified and prepared for re-injection into the breasts.
Fat injections: The next step is to inject the patient’s fat into the breasts. Dr. Griffin will inject the fat into targeted locations, and then shape the breast mound to distribute the fat.

Procedure Steps

During the breast augmentation fat grafting procedure, the surgeon will:

Mark the areas where liposuction will be performed with a surgical pen
Anesthesia is induced
Apply antibacterial solution where needed
Create the small liposuction incisions
Insert the cannula and suction out the fat cells
Purify the fat cells and prepare them for re-injection
Inject the fat into the breasts
Shape the breasts to achieve the ideal appearance and symmetry
Apply healing bandages where needed

Recovery

The patient will require about a six-week recovery period since liposuction was performed. Patients may want to take one to two weeks off of work to rest and recover and they should avoid exercise and wear a compression garment for up to six weeks after surgery.

Side Effects

Most of the side effects from surgery will be experienced around the area that underwent liposuction surgery. These effects may include discomfort, bruising, and swelling. Bruising and pain may last for about two weeks after surgery, while swelling may take a couple of months to go down.

Risks

The major risk of breast augmentation fat transfer is that the procedure may not provide as great of a breast size increase as the patient desires. Patients may wish to undergo an additional round of treatment to achieve desired results.

It is also possible that the procedure could result in false positive mammograms due to calcium formations.

Other risks of the breast augmentation fat transfer procedure include: