Can the fatty pocket below my buttocks/upper thigh be used to add fat to my breasts? (Photos)

Question

I don’t have a lot of extra fat, but I do have some right below my buttocks on my upper and inner thighs. On my right side I have developed a double crease that bothers me that I just can’t get rid of it no matter what I do. I am hoping that those are areas that liposuction could be used and then injected in to my breasts to increase volume? I recently had my breast implants removed due to some problems I was having with them and I want a more natural way to increase the volume in my breasts.

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear ButterflyAngel55,
fat transfer breast augmentation is a viable alternative for women who desire larger breasts without the use of implants. Fat transfer is also widely used in reconstruction of the breast after a mastectomy or lumpectomy. It can also be very effective in correcting the size and shape of the breasts due to genetic problems such as tuberous breast or Poland Syndrome, two conditions that look like misshapen or underdeveloped breasts.In addition, the following scenarios are also reason to consider breast fat grafting:• If you have chest areas that appear creased and sunken• If you desire more permanent correction than is provided by temporary fillers• If you wish to improve your body contour, revise scars, fill bodily depressions and rejuvenate the natural curve of your breasts• To fill in contour irregularities or hide obvious signs of breast implantsYou should discuss your concerns with a board certified plastic surgeon and make sure your surgeon understands your concerns and your breast augmentation goals. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MDCertified, American Board of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Randal Haworth, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello !

It is possible to use the fat front your thighs but one has to be very careful with the fat below your buttocks. This area can be treated but in a very specific way because of the way it supports and elevate your buttock. If not done correctly, it can cause it to sag.

The best is to consult with a board certified plastic surgeon expert in liposculpture.

I hope this helps, 
best of luck !

Joel Patrick Maier, MD · Answer

The area you are referring to underneath the buttocks can be treated with liposuction, but one must be careful and conservative so we do not cause ptosis of the buttocks with increase hanging and creasing. Your inner thighs may produce some fat as well. The volume may be conservative, but we can still transfer making good use of it with no long term issues (as see with breast implants). Thank you.

Adam Levy, MD · Answer

Hi Butterflyangel55 -- Fat transfer to the breasts is one way to augment the breasts without the use of implants. Typically, this achieves only a modest increase in size (half to a single cup size increase per session) versus implants (can increase more than a cup size). Fat grafting can provide a natural and long-lasting solution to improve breast shape and size without the complications associated with implants. In your case, it is a question of donor sites. Although you are thin, it may be possible to obtain enough fat for transfer from the locations you mention depending on your goals. Just as important as the fat transfer is the liposuction donor site and having excellent contour in the locations where the fat is removed. This would best be assessed during an in-person consultation with a plastic surgeon.

Ashley Thorburn, MD · Answer

The fatty pocket below your buttocks and upper thigh is typically referred to as the “saddlebags” area. It’s important to note that transferring fat from one area of your body to another, such as from saddlebags to breasts, is a surgical procedure known as fat transfer or fat grafting. 
However, whether or not fat from the saddlebags can be used to augment your breasts depends on several factors, including your overall health, body composition, and the specific goals you have for breast augmentation. You should consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon who can assess your individual case and discuss the available options, risks, and benefits of such a procedure.
Keep in mind that the amount of fat that can be transferred may be limited, and the results may not be as dramatic as with traditional breast augmentation methods like implants. Additionally, the suitability of fat transfer for breast augmentation may vary from person to person.

Connie Hiers, MD, FACS · Answer

No, realistically, you do not have enough fat in that area to make much of a difference in your breasts. You may need implants.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

You can certainly have breast fat transfer, but I recommend avoiding liposuction of your lower extremity, especially the area of concern. The fold you are referring to is a skin fold that forms in an upright standing position. The skin on the back of the thigh behaves opposite to the front of the abdomen with hip flexion and extension. Most people recognize that they will get a skinfolds on their lower abdomen in a sitting position. The opposite is true on the back of the thigh in a standing position. The contour changes when the hips flex because the skin redundancy happens when you’re standing straight. The contour issue is a skin problem and it’s not related to fat distribution. For that reason, Liposuction can easily make things worse and generally doesn’t fix the problem. Sometimes grafting fat can be an advantage, but Liposuction usually just causes problems. 
The best area in your case, the harvest fat is liposuction of your full torso. I generally view the torso as a single anatomic unit and treat the entire torso. If I’m going to do liposuction. By treating the entire torso as a single anatomic unit patients are left with an even natural thin fat distribution without transition zones between treated and untreated areas. It is especially important to include the full back and under arm(all the way to the side of the breast) as well as the full abdomen, including love handles, and waist. 
Delivering consistent quality, liposuction and fat transfer results is more difficult than most people believe. The number of plastic surgeons who can deliver predictable quality outcomes with this procedure is relatively limited. The procedure is more difficult than most people recognize including plastic surgeons.
Reviewing before and after pictures, it’s also challenging because early postoperative pictures can look extremely impressive for fat transfer results, but do not represent final results by any stretch. Always confirm the exact timeframe I went after pictures were taken in relationship to surgery. After pictures should not be taken within the first 3 to 6 months in order to be accurate representation of final results. 
Do not assume that any after pictures being shown was taken as a final after picture. Specifically asked providers during consultations exact timeframe of when after pictures were taken.
You appear to have some asymmetry of your breast, which is pretty typical. Fat transfer is good at increasing breast cup size by 1/2 to maximum 1 cup per procedure. The results are relatively subtle. Fat transfer is good at increasing breast volume but does not change the shape of the breast in any substantial way. it is a subtle procedure, especially in comparison to having implants. 
Patients should be extremely selective when it comes to provider selection for both Liposuction and fat transfer procedures. I recommend patient schedule multiple in person consultations started by having at least five consultations. When possible, I recommend avoiding virtual consultations to get a more accurate assessment, and the better of that plastic surgeons. During each consultation, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before and after pictures of previous patients, who had similar body characteristics to your own. And experience plastic surgeon should have no difficulty showing you at least 50 sets of before, and after pictures of commonly performed procedures, like liposuction of the torso with breast fat transfer. Being shown a handful of pre-selected images of representing the best results of the providers career is insufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results look like in the hands of each provider or how many of these procedures they’ve actually done. Ask providers to show you a variety of outcomes, including excellent results, average results and results that did not turn out as well as they had hoped for. Providers may be reluctant to do this, but patients should insist on seeing a variety of outcomes. You are in the end ultimately responsible for the choice you make regarding who does the procedure. Provider selection is equally as important as patient candidacy for consistent quality outcomes.
Liposuction into some degree fat transfer results should be considered permanent and irreversible. If done, poorly patients can be left disfigured. Poor Liposuction results are almost impossible to improve upon. Patients should be far more selective than they ever thought necessary.
When, in doubt, slow down and schedule more consultations.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD

Can the fatty pocket below my buttocks/upper thigh be used to add fat to my breasts? (Photos)

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