Can Fat Transfer Fill Hollow Breast Areas After a Lift?

This is THE HOT TOPIC in Plastic Surgery. Since one in 11 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, as surgeons we have to be very careful not to increase the likelihood of the disease but also not to make its diagnosis more difficult. The problem with fat grafts is that a good portion of the injected fat does not live and goes on to die forming scar tissue and calcifications. In the breast, such calcifications MAY look similar to those seen with early cancers. While we are assured by... more

This has only recently been considered a treatment option that has yet to gain widespread acceptability. In the past the use of fat injections to the breast was considered highly controversial due to the potential interference with mammograms.

The answer is yes, but a physical exam is imperative. In addition, fat transfer in large amounts has a high revision rate since this is a very inexact method of volume enhancement. The much more predictable way is to use an implant. I recommend going in for a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon who is familiar with fat transfer as well as breast surgery. Good luck! Dr. Singer

Fat grafting can be an excellent option to add fullness to the upper pole of the breasts, without implants or even over the top of implants. However fat grafting is very technique sensitive, and surgeons who do not pay attention to each aspect of the process may not get consitent results. Every component of the procedure from fat harvesting, to fat purification, to micrografting, and even preparing the bed of time with techniques like the Brava device, can make a difference. With... more

Absolutely. We often perform fat transfer to the breast for a variety of reasons including patients who do not want breast implants. Be sure your surgeon discusses with you the results you can attain with this technique and be sure this is the result you want.  The result will not be the same as a woman who has a breast implant.

Breast fat injections are done but as this has evolved over the last decade and with controversy you should consult with a plastic surgeon who has the equivalence of board certification if not in the U.S. And discuss the issue of radiologist interpretation of mammograms of breasts treated with fat.

The answer to your question is "yes, it can be done".  However, it's not clear whether this would be the best option for you - perhaps you need a re-do of the breast lift.   There are two methods of fat grafting that seem to work, although the studies are preliminary.  One involves adding additional stem cells to the liposuctioned fat, the other method involves pre-treatment of the breast with the BRAVA system.  It's not clear which one is the... more

This is such a controversial topic right now. Fat injection can be done to the breasts, but there is some concern among plastic surgeons that the fat might become calcified in the future, which would make your mammograms more difficult to interpret. In addition, the volume of fat that you might need over the long term is unpredictable, as there is a certain resorption rate with injected fat. I would advise you to see a plastic surgeon to discuss this option and determine how much fill... more