Due to some reason, I can only have breast implants placed over the muscle. I know that chances that I'll ripple are high, especially since my upper chest is very "bony" with little fatty tissue and thin skin.
I am concerned about the implants being palpable and visible. I'm hoping that while having my breast augmentation, fat transfer could be done at the same time on the tops and sides of the breasts to provide better tissue coverage for the implants, and to camouflage the bony chest. Is this possible? What would be the average cost for this?
Dear Rainy Rainy
Thank you for your question. Fat grafting at the same time as your augmentation is possible. Certainly you need to have extra fat for the harvesting and injection. The fat grafting can also be done at a later date if you desire,
The recovery from the combined procedure may be a little longer- bruising and swelling but should not inhibit you from resuming normal activities immediately after surgery.
With Warm Regards,
Trevor M Born MD
Hi, the best way to avoid rippling in this situation is to have silicone gel implants placed. Saline implants placed over the muscle, especially if you are very thin or have very little native breast tissue, will be more obvious and will be more likely to show ripples. Fat augmentation can be done, but this is very controversial in the plastic surgery community. Many of us hesitate to place fat into an organ that is at risk for cancer, as we don't know if this will make your mammograms more difficult to read in the future. We do sometimes place fat for breast reconstruction patients after mastectomy, as they have no breast tissue left that might be prone to cancer. i would discuss this with your plastic surgeon to make sure that you are advised about the risks and benefits. The cost would vary depending upon where you are and how much fat would need to be placed. I personally would recommend using gel implants and then assessing your results once the swelling has resolved. Chances are that you would not need fat grafting that time. Good luck, /nsn.
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