For a long time, the only technique used in the field of breast surgery was breast augmentation with implants. After fat grafting was introduced in this field, fat grafting breast augmentation became a common breast augmentation technique. This approach offers the benefit of replacing foreign objects by the patient’s own natural fat tissue, which is considered by many patients as a determinant factor in their decision to undergo cosmetic surgery.
In addition to being a natural, this technique has a double benefit. Since fat is used to increase breast volume, it is harvested during the first stage of the procedure with liposuction (liposuction is usually performed in the abdominal, hips or thighs area), Patients can choose to remove problematic fat deposits to improve body contours in addition to increasing breast volume.
Fat grafting breast augmentation : what it cannot do
Fat grafting breast augmentation limits
This procedure is suited for patients requesting a natural and less invasive breast augmentation treatment. Even if fat grafting can achieve this type of result, it has limits :
- Fat availability : for very skinny patients with low fat percentage, this procedure can be harder to perform. It forces the surgeons to harvest fat tissue in less common areas of the body such as the knees, the belly, the thighs, etc. The first stage of the procedure that is liposuction will be significantly longer or even impossible in certain cases.
- Volume increase : breast volume is increased with the patient’s own fat. The amount of fat is limited, therefore patients cannot achieve more than 1 to 2 cup size augmentation.
- Fat resorption : fat reabsorbed by the body represents 20 to 30% of the amount of fat grafted. Fat resorption can differ from one breast to the other, usually not significantly. In this instance, an additional procedure can easily treat the issue.
