Fat Transfer to Breasts - Will It Affect my Ability to Breastfeed?

Fat transfer to breast involves liposuction of fat from elsewhere in your body (usually your tummy), purification of the fat and injection into the breast tissues.  This in no way harms or interferes with the breast glands.  However, you need to understand that this is still an 'experiemental' procedure, many surgeons are just now starting to perform this technique and there are many draw-backs.  Most important are the fact that you will have calcifications that will make your family doctor and radiologist concerned about the potential of breast cancer.  Secondly, the amount of fat that can survive and give you a visible augmentation is minima.  When I see patients asking for this procedure, I usually strongly recommend that they consider implants.  Implants are way more reliable, stable, safe, and long lasting way of breast augmentation than fat transfer.

Sincerely,

Martin Jugenburg, MD, FRCSC

Toronto Cosmetic Surgery Institute

Fat transfer to the breast is still a new procedure.  Many of the issues are not well known yet, as we don't have enough patients who have done it and gone on to have pregnancies and breastfeed.

When doing fat transfer we only use blunt instruments to place the fat.  This should mean the breast ducts to the nipple remain intact.

We do know from other studies done in the past any surgery to the breast can have some affect on breast feeding.  It may not prevent breast feeding, but may lower the amount of milk produced.  I know anecdotally patients who have had augmentation and breast reductions who have gone on to successfully breastfeed, and fat transfer seems less invasive than those surgeries, particularly than breast reductions and lifts.

 

but there are other controversies surrounding fat grafting to breast and that involves calcifications and undesired stem cell effects.  Because of that, fat grafting for augmenting breasts is not main stream in America.  But the bottom line is fat grafting should not impact your ability to breast feed in the future.  Realize that fat grafts will act like where they come from so weigh fluctuations can result in breast changes in volume.  At 19, your breast is not expected to change much in size with the exception of changes during pregnancy.

I would not recommend that procedure for Breast enlargement.  Fat transfer to the breast is still in the experimental stage.  Discuss your concerns and expectations with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, certified by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).  Breast implants are safe and an acceptable way to enhance the breast.