Reality Check: Fat Grafting For Breast Augmentation is Tricky
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons conference (held in Chicago earlier this month) was the site of a symposium on fat-grafting for breast augmentation as Japanese surgeons continue to receive media attention over the controversial technique .
New York City plastic surgeon Dr. Sydney Coleman and others shared their expertise and outlined some of the realities of fat grafting that don't sound as optimistic as the recent discourse - an optimism largely inspired by studies on stem cells and the possibility that they could aid in the fat grafting process.
Some of the fat grafting issues discussed are as follows:
If fat grafted to the breast hardens after injection, it can interfere with mammograms. Hardened deposits of fat might also be mistaken for a cancerous growth. Dr. Coleman advised that "patients undergoing fat grafting should know that they will likely have to undergo more breast biopsies." Coleman also stressed the limitations of fat grafting; in regards to size increases, he said, "this is not for mega-augmentation."
Dr. Nora Hansen, a surgical oncologist at Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital advised that there can be a risk of "fat necrosis," a condition that causes an unnatural death of the patient's fat cells. Hansen also noted an increased risk of infection.
Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. William Adams claimed that “at least in the forseeable future, it will be too expensive, too unpredictable, too laborious, too limited, and too dependent on good donor sites, which in many patients do not exist.”
The consensus seemed to be that while it is expensive and laborious, fat-grafting could provide viable solutions for breast reconstruction patients. For the time being, inconsistencies, limitations and risks pose a problem for full fledged breast augmentation by any regular medical practitioner.
Kristin Meyer for Real Beauty News
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846 posts
14 Jan 2009
Fat grafting is a very valuable technique when it is used in facial rejuvenation or augmentation of certain areas in the body. When it comes to the breast things could be different as the breast is a hormone sensitive tissue. The use of fat in revision of breast reconstruction is a very valuable technique that helps in acheiving a good breast reconstrution. Using fat grafting for breast augmentation is still very controversial. The standard of care and the recommendation of the American Society of Plastic surgeons warns against using this technique but opens the door for clinical research under IRB control.
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5 May 2009
There is a field called surgical oncology in which the surgeon specializes in operating on cancer. There are both pediatric and surgical oncology specialists. The surgical oncologist would be considered the 'tool' of the primary pediatric or adult oncologist . . they often work in tandem together to treat a patient. Thus, the patient has a primary oncologist who co-ordinates all the treatment and health care needs of the patient. Which may include contacting specialists for radiation treatment or for surgery. The primary oncologist orders the chemotherapy, determines treatment options, and consults with a radiology oncologist and a surgical oncologist about radiation and/or surgery.