Would 100cc of fat transferred to each breast bring me to a full C from a small C?

Question

I have small 36c breasts. I have lost a lot of volume at the top of my breast from breastfeeding. I would like to have full C breasts.My plastic surgeon said that 100cc will be enough to increase the fullness of my breast without inserting too much fat and taking the risk of getting nodules because of a large amount of fat being transferred and dying such as 400 cc's. Will I be pleased with a 100cc fat transfer?

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

In general 200cc per breast is typically the upper limit of fat injection recommended by most plastic surgeons.  It is not that more cannot be injected; but on average, this has been determined to be the most that can be expected to live during one transfer. Fat transfer to the breast could improve the fullness of the breast, particularly at the top of the breast.  About 50% of the fat obtains permanence.  Kenneth Hughes, MD, Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA

Christopher Chui, MBBS, MRCS Ed, MMed · Answer

Thanks for your question.
Depending on what technique of fat grafting is used, when fat is transferred anywhere in the body, only about 80% of the volume injected is fat, the rest is infiltration fluid. There may be some absorption of fat cells that don't survive, maybe about 10% of the volume that is injected. So overall about 70% of the volume will remain.
Fat transfer to the breasts is common in Asian patients that don't want people to know they've had augmentation. In my opinion, 100cc will not be enough to give you the result you want. I would recommend about 200 to 250cc to each breast, that will give you a final increase of about 140 to 175cc. The risk of developing nodules is not high since you already have fairly sizeable tissue to work with.

Connie Hiers, MD, FACS · Answer

The amount of fat that can be safely transferred varies upon the amount of donor fat available for transfer and the size of your breasts. Some fat will be lost after the transfer. If your surgeon thinks you need the volume of 100 cc's to achieve the size you want, he/she may transfer 150-200 cc's initially. I would suggest meeting with your surgeon and asking these questions.

David A. Lickstein, MD · Answer

Maybe.  The issue is  that the difficulty with fat transfer is predicting the amount of fat that will remain long term.

Marc J. Salzman, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

Thank you for your question. There is so much variability into fat grafting that it's difficult in any one patient to give an estimation of how much fat grafted into the breast will give you the look that you want. Not all of the fat will survive. You may also be limited by how much fat you have to donate. I would speak with your plastic surgeon about your desires and concerns. Best of luck.

Would 100cc of fat transferred to each breast bring me to a full C from a small C?

Answers (5)

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