The Rise Of Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation

Chances are good that the average woman seeking breast augmentation has heard about BBL, or fat transfers to the buttock, but do they know that surgeons can also use fat grafting in breast surgery? What exactly can patients expect from the procedure, and who makes a good candidate? Dr. Lawrence Iteld is a board-certified plastic surgeon who regularly consults patients on all aspects of breast augmentation. The Chicago-area physician explains that fat transfer breast augmentation is an effective way to provide a modest size increase to the breasts—half a cup size to one cup—or correct asymmetry and other irregularities.

Dieting and exercise may help a person to shed overall body weight, but no one can control which areas slim down and which don’t. This is why some women find that their hips stubbornly stay their pre-diet size (no!), while their breasts get a bit smaller (NO!). Fat transfers are ideal for addressing both of these issues, since they do more than simply increase breast size and enhance breast shape. They also have the added advantage of removing fat cells in areas where there are unwanted. Basically, in fat transfer for breast augmentation—otherwise known as an autologous fat transfer, structural fat grafting, or lipomodelling—the plastic surgeon uses liposuction to extract fat from the flanks, thighs, abdomen, or somewhere else with excess fat and then artistically injects the fat cells to their new home in the breast.

Today’s breast implants may be safer and more advanced than their counterparts from previous decades, but not every woman wants a foreign object in her body. For these women, use of their own fat as a filler as opposed to gaining volume from a foreign object is an option. There is no risk of capsular contracture, rippling, displacement, ruptures, or any other rare but possible issue commonly associated with conventional saline or silicone implants.

Ideal candidates for fat transfer are those who are in good health and who have sufficient amounts of fat in their donor site(s). It is also important that patients have an understanding of what the procedure can realistically do. If a woman wants a significant increase in breast size, fat transfer may not be an option.

The priority for fat transfer breast augmentation is to preserve living fat cells and prevent damage to as many of them as possible. This is because the fat cells are not like marbles that simply take up space, but are cells that need to survive and thrive after their transplantation.

As such, tumescent liposuction is the method of choice—as opposed to laser methods that “melt” the fat cells prior to removal. Tumescent lipo is the most frequently performed type of liposuction in the country. A small tube called a cannula is inserted into a tiny opening in the skin of the donor area to collect fat cells, which are then prepared and artfully delivered in layers into the recipient site. The process takes around two to three hours, and patients can go home on the same day.

In some cases, fat transfers may be used after breast reconstruction or other breast surgeries to refine the shape of the breast. The results feel and look very similar to real breasts. The fat transfer technique is also ideal for other cosmetic procedures, like buttock augmentation and facial rejuvenation. However, if a patient’s goal is to dramatically augment her breast size and cleavage, or to significantly lift the breasts’ position on her chest, fat transfers are not be the best choice. Implants can create more dramatic changes in volume.

To find out more about breast augmentation or other cosmetic surgeries, contact Dr. Lawrence Iteld at Iteld Plastic Surgery. Visit the practice online to submit a message via the contact form or call the Chicago-based office directly at 312.757.4505 to schedule a consultation.