Fat grafting (autologous fat transfer or lipoinjection) is a procedure where fat is transferred from one part of your body to another. For many years now, it has been a common method used to rejuvenate the face or other smaller areas of a person’s body but it has not developed as much with regard to breast augmentation.
It was only really when liposuction became popular and the procedure more refined that larger quantities of fat cells were able to be harvested and injected into breasts. Currently, fat grafting is used to enhance the results of breast reconstruction and breast augmentation. Doctors and scientists are still researching how they can use just the fat from a patient’s liposuction in their breast augmentation surgery. This type of treatment could potentially be much safer and more cost effective than traditional breast implants.
Fat Transfer in Breast Implants
Fat transfer in breast implants is an option for women have enough fat to harvest from sites around their body and who want to improve the appearance of their breasts after reconstruction or augmentation. Fat transfer is also used to treat a lumpectomy following breast cancer, correct a congenital breast deformity (tuberous breasts) or fix breast implant risks and side effects such as rippling and wrinkling. This procedure can also be used to enhance the appearance of a woman’s breast implants by softening the lines between implant and breast tissue.
Procedure for Fat Tranfer
Fat transfer takes place in two parts: it is harvested and then injected. After the harvesting the fat is processed and purified so only healthy fat cells are transferred. The actual injection process is rather time consuming because the fat is inserted drop by drop into the breast tissue and around the breast implant. This allows the plastic surgeon to sculpt the breast into the desired shape. Only a small amount of fat is used so the augmentation is not overly noticeable.
Advantages of fat transfer in breast implants:
- No risk of rejection or allergic reaction because the fat cells come from your own body
- The surgeon has more control over how he shapes your breasts – more so than saline or silicone
- No major incisions are made
Disadvantages of fat transfer in breast implants:
- Transplanted fat cells do not survive in the long term because they may be absorbed by the body or liquefy. This means that you will also lose some volume
- Fat cells may form a cyst, calcify, or produce scarring within the breast tissue which leads to the development of lumps
- Fat grafting provides less than a cup size worth of augmentation so this is not suitable for women who want significantly larger breasts
If you are interested in using the fat from your own liposuction in your breast implants, talk to your plastic surgeon in Mexico to find out what the best options for you are.
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