While breast augmentation with saline or silicone implants is still by far the most popular option for breast enhancement worldwide, there is a growing interest in breast augmentation using a patient’s own fat, a procedure known as fat transfer breast augmentation. Only recently has this procedure become more widely accepted, and with advances in technique, including fat harvesting and transfer procedures, we’re now seeing outstanding results from this approach.
How does it work?
The procedure involved harvesting fat from areas of excess (such as the love handles, thighs, or tummy) with a specific type of liposuction, filtering and concentrating the fat, and then injecting this fat in the parts of the breast that need to be a bit fuller (usually the central breast, upper breast, and cleavage line, although this can be tailored based on the patient’s anatomy and goals). While we usually see nice improvement with one treatment, on occasion patients require a second procedure as some of the fat can be reabsorbed.
Who is a good candidate for the procedure?
Women who have a bit of laxity to their breasts and who want a modest increase in fullness are excellent candidates. In addition, we want our patients to have no personal or family history of breast cancer and to have an imaging study if there is any doubt. Younger patients with tight breast skin or tissue who want a more dramatic result still do much better with traditional implants. However, for these younger patients if they do want the fat transfer procedure we recommend using the Brava system (http://www.mybrava.com/home.asp) prior to and after surgery to help increase the overall effect of the fat transfer, and this is something Dr. Salemy can review at your consultation in detail, as well as the overall process of the procedure.
