Breast Fat Grafting

Written By Brittany Martorella

  • Have you ever wished that you could take fat from one area of your body and move it to another? You can with fat grafting. Fat grafting is also known as fat transfer, fat injection, lipofilling, or lipoaugmentation . Fat transfer allows you to improve the appearance of the area where the fat is injected and is commonly used to enhance the contour of your breasts.

    When to Consider Fat Transfer:
    •If you have facial areas that appear creased and sunken
    •If you desire more permanent correction than is provided by temporary fillers
    •If you wish to improve your body contour, revise scars, fill bodily depressions and rejuvenate your hands and face
    •For use in breast reconstruction, to fill in contour irregularities or hide obvious signs of breast implants

    Pros:
    •Autologous fat (from your own body), as opposed to dermal fillers, replaces “like with like,” reducing the chance of allergic reactions to foreign substances.
    •Fat transfer results are natural, long lasting and safe.
    •Fat transfer is a noninvasive method for achieving facial rejuvenation.

    Cons:
    •It is time consuming to prepare fat tissue before transferring it, compared to dermal fillers, which are prepackaged.
    •Though longer lasting than dermal fillers, fat transfer costs more.
    •For augmentation, you may require multiple sessions to achieve your desired breast or buttock size.

    These are the top three pros and cons to weigh when considering fat transfer. If you wish to focus on what is unique to you, please consult with your board certified plastic surgeon.

  • The purpose of fat grafting is to augment or fill in volume-deficient areas. Commonly grafted, or injected, areas include the hands, face (including the lips), depressions in the skin (following liposuction and scarring) and the breast and buttock (for augmentation). Of course, you must have donor sites from which fat can be taken. It is important that you do not have any circulation problems, either from a medical condition or smoking.


    Facial fat transfer: If you have facial creases, such as laugh lines, smile lines, and crow’s-feet, fat can be removed from your abdomen, thighs, or other areas and be injected into your face. Acne scars and sunken areas of the face, lips, and cheeks can also be filled in. Your plastic surgeon can even use grafted fat to minimize lines between your nose and mouth, correct skin depressions or indentations and minimize forehead wrinkles.

    Breast augmentation: If you desire a modest increase in breast size, you are a good candidate for fat grafting to the breast, but your breasts should already have a nice shape and good skin tone. If you have poor skin, sagging breasts, or want a significant increase in breast size, breast augmentation with fat transfer is not for you. The problem with only using fat for breast enhancement lies in getting large volumes of fat to predictably “take.”

    Breast implants plus fat transfer: If your breast shape needs optimizing during a breast implant procedure, fat grafting can be useful. If you have residual breast irregularities after undergoing breast augmentation with implants, the irregularities can be filled in with fat to produce a smooth contour and an optimal shape.

    Breast reconstruction with fat grafting: Fat grafting is also an option for total breast reconstruction following mastectomy; however, to achieve sufficient breast volume, this is usually a multistage process that requires at least two to four sequential fat grafting procedures.

    Buttock augmentation with fat transfer Many people who desire a fuller, more rounded buttock will opt for a “Brazilian butt lift,” which uses fat transfer to provide a more curvaceous buttock without the use of an implant. Liposuction is commonly used to both sculpt the surrounding area and collect the autologous fat to be injected.

    Hand rejuvenation with fat grafting: Fat transfer into your hands is effective for adding volume, “plumping up” wrinkled areas, covering underlying vessels and tendons and improving the quality of your skin over time.

    If you are in good general health, have a positive attitude and realistic expectations, you are most likely a good candidate for this procedure.

Patient testimonial

I had the most amazing experience with Dr. Nichols and his whole team. The office atmosphere is relaxing, bright and clean. I thought I would be a nervous wreck the day of my surgery, but the surgical team made me feel so at ease. If I could give 10 stars I would! Thank you again for everything!

-Happy Patient 2022

LEARN MORE

We’d love to chat with you about Breast Fat Grafting. We will help you explore your Breast Enhancement options at Pearl Plastic Surgery. Contact us today to schedule your consultation!

“I would highly recommend Pearl Plastic surgery. I found Dr Nichols for my fiancé who wanted a procedure done then referred a friend who also had a procedure, then I had a procedure my self and after that referred another friend. I love everyone here they are all so kind and welcoming make you feel comfortable and most of all listen to you your needs and wants. Very clean. I am so happy with how my procure turned out and excited for full recovery.”
-2022 Liposuction of Abdomen with Renuvion and Bilateral Breast Fat Grafting Patient

”The staff is wonderful. I went in feeling really scared about the procedure but they do a great job being supportive And listening to your concerns and answering any questions you have. The procedure I got Is only a few hours old so I can’t comment on the looks but I’m positive it will look great once healed. Great place I would definitely recommend to friends and family if your interested in getting anything done.”
-2022 Bilateral Breast Fat Grafting Patient

Brittany Martorella
Previous

Breast Revision
Next

Breast Reduction for Men