Posted on March 28, 2014
I am a plastic surgeon who does fat transfer for breast enlargement. I started because I like the idea of using your body’s own natural tissue; there are issues with breast implants whether they are made of silicone gel or saline; and I think fat cells are an exciting new frontier of medicine.
BUT
There are issues with fat transfer to the breast. Please read my copious blogs on the subject, but to summarize some of the major issues:
- you need to have a loose enough skin envelope to have SPACE TO GRAFT INTO.
- you NEED ENOUGH FAT
- and you NEED TO CONSIDER THE IMAGING AND BREAST EXAM CHANGES WHICH CAN OCCUR
None of these issues are necessarily a deal breaker, but I see many women who come in for consultation who have unrealistic expectations for what we can do to change their body.
FOR SPACE TO GRAFT INTO, consider these questions:
- how old are you?
- have you had children?
- did you breast feed?
- do your breasts droop? are they stretchy? how is your skin tone?
- how big do you want to go?
FOR ENOUGH FAT
- what is your BMI?
- do you have a concentration of fat in one area (like the inner thigh, love handle, or is it spread out diffusely all over)? Please keep in mind loose skin is not the same as fat.
- how big do you want to go?
- do you have issues with liposuction such as poor skin tone, fine wrinkling, and cellulite already?
- have you had prior liposuction?
RISK OF IMAGING AND EXAM
- do you have a personal history of breast cancer?
- a family history of breast cancer? (in whom? at what age? BRCA status?)
- do you have hard to image breasts?
- have you had prior biopsies for benign disease?