For over a century, fat grafting continues to be used to improve the appearance of breasts.
Multiple studies have shown fat grafting used for breast augmentation, reconstruction & revisionary breast reconstruction is safe and effective. Our highly-skilled surgeons at Southwest Breast and Aesthetics strive to provide one of the best fat transfer breast augmentations Phoenix has to offer.
Fat is an ideal material for breast enhancement.
Women who undergo fat transfer breast augmentation will have a natural appearance and feel. In addition, unlike breast implants, once the desired cup size or symmetry is achieved with fat grafting, patients do not need to undergo further procedures to achieve desired results. Therefore, the combination of a breast implant and fat grafting is ideal for achieving an optimal result in some women.
Almost any patient can be a candidate for fat grafting. Our Phoenix Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation surgeons at Southwest Breast & Aesthetics will give you a personalized treatment plan based on your individualized areas of fat deposits. The most common areas of harvest include:
Less common areas include arms and lower legs. We prefer to harvest fat from stubborn areas that do not fluctuate with weight changes.
Surgeons at Southwest Breast and Aesthetics treat fat cells as delicate and precious structures. We obtain fat cells through low-pressure gentle liposuction, avoiding harvesting large fat globules, leading to more fat cell death after grafting. Minimal processing of fat cells is performed, just enough to remove the excess free fluid.
During fat transfer breast augmentation Phoenix breast surgery experts use a state-of-the-art fat grafting system, to harvest 50cc of injectable fat from an area roughly the size of your palm. Using a small diameter cannula, the risks of contour irregularities (lumps and bumps) from the donor site (the area where the fat is obtained) are minimized. Harvesting fat with a smaller cannula, minimal processing, and injecting the fat in microdroplets takes time. We strongly believe that providing quality work results in better graft take and fewer repeat fat grafting surgeries.
The fat injection component of the fat grafting process is slow and deliberate. The delivery process is meticulous, as we perform micro-injections of fat cells throughout the subcutaneous breast tissue and underneath the breast. Many centers use a large volume delivery system to inject the necessary volume of fat quickly. We perform hundreds of precise passes with a small-caliber injectable cannula to allow the fat to be distributed evenly and in microdroplets. This delicate and calculated injection process ensures that the recipient tissue is not overwhelmed by grafted fat, leading to increased survival of fat. Surgeons at Southwest Breast and Aesthetics believe that when it comes to fat grafting, “slow is fast.” By performing such precise placement, we decrease the need for additional grafting procedures, which would lead to extra operative time in the future.
Fat transfer is ideal for women looking to enhance their breast size without fear of breast implant-related side effects.
Depending on the breast size desired, patients may require more than one operation. Fat grafting to the breast is performed within the subcutaneous plane and underneath the breast gland itself. Additional volume added to those areas enhances the breast size, treats asymmetry, fills the breast skin after breastfeeding deflation, and can achieve a limited breast lift without large incisions.
A combination of a breast implant and fat grafting is required to achieve an optimal result in some women. By adding fat grafting to breast augmentation with implants, you can achieve the desired fullness without larger breast implants. In addition, fat grafting to the breast can treat specific areas of the desired improvement, like the cleavage, without enlarging the entire breast.
Pros:
Cons:
Fat grafting in the setting of breast reconstruction is an excellent tool for a lumpectomy defect, treatment of contour deformities after breast implant or flap placement, improvement of mastectomy skin health after radiation, and for total breast reconstruction with fat grafting only.
However, in breast reconstruction, the number of fat grafting operations needed depends on the desired breast size, degree of the deformity and/or asymmetry, amount of scar tissue within the breast, and radiation history. In general, the amount of fat grafted cells surviving is lower than in the patients undergoing fat grafting to the breast for aesthetics enhancement. The lack of fat grafted cell survival is usually due to more trauma to the breast tissue after a cancer operation and lack of skin stretch after skin removal at the time of the cancer operation.
When people hear “breast augmentation,” the first word that comes to mind is, “implants.” But there are other options, including those that use donor fat and tissue from your body to fill the space that would typically be done by an implant. This natural breast augmentation is a perfect choice for patients who want to look and feel closer to how they did before reconstruction, without having to undergo any implant-related surgeries later in life. At Southwest Breast and Aesthetics, offering natural breast augmetnation for reconstruction is another way we make sure that every surgery we do is tailored to fit you.
Southwest Breast and Aesthetics strives to be the best and serve our Phoenix community. Discover a safe and effective alternative to breast enhancement with fat grafting. Call for your consultation today.
Even a thin patient can be a candidate for fat transfer breast augmentation. Using state-of-the-art fat grafting tools, our plastic surgeons are able to harvest great quality fat cells for grafting, even in this group of patients. Thinner patients will have smaller fat cells that are more likely to survive the grafting process. We do not ask the patient to gain weight for fat grafting as this creates large fat globules that are more prone to necrosis.
We prefer to harvest fat from the stubborn areas that do not decrease by weight loss. If done skillfully, contour irregularities are rare. By removing fat cells from the donor site causes reduction in the number of fat cells. This, in turn, will lead to less weight gain in the area. The grafted breast can preferentially gain more weight since they now have more fat cells present.
Studies show there is no increased risk of breast cancer with fat grafting.
Fat grafting surgeries can be spaced apart as early as two months. This mainly gives the grafted area time to rest and heal without disrupting the new blood flow to the newly placed fat. Also, the donor sites will have less inflammation with time, which allows us to obtain more usable fat cells the second go around.
The fat cells that survive the grafting process stay at the grafted site permanently. If repeated grafting sessions are needed, previously grafted fat cells that have survived can now accept additional new fat cells. Therefore, our surgeons can increase the amount of grafted fat cells exponentially with each grafting session.
No. The fat does not move around from the area where it was injected. Unlike implants, fat stays in the exact location where it is placed. Also, if the patient gains weight, the fat does not move to other places. Therefore, the patient preferentially gains more weight in the grafted area or other places and gains less weight in the area where the fat was removed. This is purely dependent on the number of fat cells present in the particular area.
Your journey to better begins with a consultation at Southwest Breast and Aesthetics. Our plastic surgeons set the standards for plastic surgery through their innovative procedures and meticulous attention to detail. Discover a better experience by booking your consultation at Southwest Breast and Aesthetics today.
Mon 9AM – 4PM
Tue-Fri 9AM – 5PM
Please contact our office to schedule your plastic surgery consultation to further discuss your medical needs. Serving Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Mesa, and other surrounding cities in Arizona, including Glendale, Gilbert, and Chandler, AZ.
