Before and afters Want to see our results with previous patients?
How is Fat Transfer Augmentation Performed?
The Coastal Clinic Surgeons Who Perform This Surgery
Procedure:
- Harvesting Fat
Liposuction: Fat is harvested from donor areas of the body with excess fat, such as the abdomen, thighs, or flanks, using liposuction. A small cannula is inserted through tiny incisions to gently suction out the fat. - Processing Fat
Purification: The harvested fat is then processed to remove impurities, such as blood and oil, leaving only healthy fat cells for transfer. This is typically done through centrifugation or filtration. - Injecting Fat
Grafting: The purified fat is carefully injected into the breasts using a series of small injections. The surgeon will sculpt the breasts to achieve the desired shape and volume, ensuring even distribution of the fat cells. In order to survive, grafted fat cells need to be surrounded by healthy native breast tissue, meaning only so much fat can be safely transferred in one procedure. This volume is typically less than what can be achieved with an implant-based augmentation. In some cases patients may require more than one procedure to achieve their desired volume.
What are the Long-Term Results For a Fat Transfer Augmentation?
Fat transfer augmentation offers an alternative to implants, but results can vary depending on factors like fat retention, body type, and technique. Understanding how fat behaves in the long term, along with the potential need for additional procedures, is important when considering this option.
- What results can I expect long term for a Fat Transfer Augmentation?
Over time, as the breast drops, grafted fat will move with the breast, unlike an implant which stays in the same position and may give the appearance of a ‘waterfall deformity’ whereby the breast appears to have ‘fallen off’ the implant. Finally, fat grafting is performed free-hand as opposed to the generic shape of a breast implant, meaning the surgeon can target any specifically deficient areas of the breast, such as the cleavage, to enhance. - How much fat will take long term?
Even in experienced hands and using modern techniques, between 25-40% of the fat can fail to take, and be re-absorbed by the body over the next few years.Patients that desire a moderate to large volume increase of their breasts (ie a cup size or more) may require multiple procedures, which can become expensive.
Before the fat graft is broken down and absorbed, it can form small firm lumps known as ‘fat necrosis’ or dead fat, within the breast. Finally, patients that are slim, or have had liposuction in the past, may not have adequate usable fat stores to provide the desired amount of fat for transfer.
- Fat Grafting with Breast Implants
Fat grafting can also be used as a helpful adjunct for patients undergoing other breast procedures such as implant-based augmentation, or a breast lift (mastopexy). In an implant-based augmentation with fat grafting, or ‘hybrid augmentation’, the implant is used to create volume, whilst the fat grafting is used to improve cleavage lines and provide better soft tissue coverage of the breast implant.
