Do I have enough fat to harvest for breast transfer? (Photo)

Question

I am looking to avoid implants as my body is sensitive to many things and I am nervous about systemic immune stimulation. I have breastfed two babies and now have lost any amount of volume I had ... I have been lean my whole life with smaller breasts, so a modest increase is fine, but am wondering if there is enough to harvest and if it'd be worth trying. I also am afraid of irregularities from lipo and compromising my body shape.

Mert Demirel, MD · Answer

Fat transfer can be a good option for a modest, natural breast enhancement, especially if you want to avoid implants. However, in a very lean patient, the main limitation is often donor fat.
Even if enough fat can be harvested, only part of the transferred fat survives. So the result is usually subtle, and more than one session may be needed. It is not the best choice if someone wants a reliable large increase in cup size.
Common donor areas include the abdomen, flanks, inner thighs, outer thighs, and sometimes knees or arms. In lean patients, the surgeon must be very conservative with liposuction to avoid dents, waviness, or contour irregularities.
Your concern about compromising your body shape is very reasonable. If there is only a small amount of available fat, the surgeon should not over-harvest just to chase breast volume. The donor-site contour matters as much as the breast result.
My advice would be to consult a surgeon experienced with fat transfer in thin patients. If your goal is a small improvement in shape and fullness, it may be worth considering. But if the exam shows limited donor fat, it may be safer to accept a very subtle result rather than risk irregularities from aggressive liposuction.

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear lbgirl54321,

it is hard to tell for sure without an examination. I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.

Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Justin Yovino, MD, FACS · Answer

You may have enough donor fat on your body but it's hard to say for sure with the single photo you posted. Typical donor areas include the arm, abdomen, waist, flanks, back, love handles, thighs, and knees. Not all of these areas are addressed at one time. Posting photos of the above areas with you pinching the tissue would give better insight. I commonly treat thin patients and achieve satisfying outcomes. For it to be worthwhile, the minimal goal would be to transfer around 200 cc of fat to each breast.  The outcome would be about 1/4 to 1/2 cup increase at best.

Julia Spears, MD · Answer

Thank you for sharing your photos and your concerns. Based on your photo, you do appear to have a lean build, which may limit the amount of fat available for transfer. However, many lean patients are still candidates for breast fat grafting if there is enough donor fat in areas such as the abdomen, flanks, thighs, or arms.

It's important to understand that fat transfer is best suited for patients seeking a modest increase in breast size, typically around one cup size per session. If your goal is subtle volume restoration after pregnancy and breastfeeding while maintaining a natural look, fat grafting may be an excellent option. An experienced board-certified plastic surgeon can evaluate your donor sites, estimate how much fat can be safely harvested, and discuss the likelihood of achieving your desired result. They can also use meticulous liposuction techniques to help minimize contour irregularities and preserve your body shape.

Chet Mays, MD · Answer

Hi! Thank you for the inquiry, with fat transfer, you do need to harvest fat from other places to get enough to place to the upper poles of the breasts. Depending on how large you want to be and your goals and concerns you would need a consultation to determine if you have enough to add volume to your breasts. There are other alternatives such as Alloclae which is fat you can buy per syringe. We recommend always booking a consultation with a Board-Certified Surgeon.

Gerald Minniti, MD, FACS · Answer

Bottom line is that even if you had unlimited fat stores to donate for fat grafting, you have limited breast tissue to graft into. So no, fat grafting will not be a satisfying surgery for you. But that's ok, because we have now a significant amount of highly technical and trustworthy data about breast implants and the concept of systemic symptoms from them. Study designs have been repeated by independent researchers from around the world. There are no heavy metals or toxins that leach from them, women's immune system's status are not different with implants, and bacteria and their byproducts are no different between women who believe they're experiencing symptoms and those that don't. Complex and mutilating BII activist-recommended surgeries (en bloc total capsulectomies) do not produce better symptom reduction than a simple removal of implants with no capsule removal. There are dozens of implantable devices made of the same silicone elastomer material, including testicular implants, the first cosmetic implant that has been around since the 1940s, pre-dating breast implants by 20 years. None of these devices have been associated with implant illness. The bottom line: BII is a nocebo phenomenon (the reverse of placebo) that has been amplified by social media and the wellness community who are making substantial financial gains perpetuating this myth. Symptom reduction is a placebo phenomenon of explant surgery. Go get your breast implants. You will not get ill.

Paul E. Chasan, MD, FACS · Answer

ALThank you for your question.  I have been in practice for over 30 years, and breast surgery and revision her breast surgery is a large portion of my practice.  I have found that fat transfer to the breast adds very little volume.  The breast tissue is not a very good recipient site because it does not have a great blood supply.  You can place fat and you will be happy for about 2 to 3 months, and disappointed when the swelling goes down.  There is a new product called Alloclae which is a fat scaffold and may give you a slight amount more volume, however this is a very expensive product. I have been performing breast augmentations over the last 30 years, there is very few people who are "sensitive" to the silicone implants.  We are at our 6 or 7 generation implants and they continue to improve.  You would be an excellent candidate for a small, what is termed ballerina breast implant technique.  Best wishes to you.

Vasileios Vasilakis, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello,
Thank you for the question. Your surgeon would have to liposuction multiple areas to obtain enough fat, e.g. posterior arms, thighs, flanks and lower abdomen to obtain enough fat. Even in this case, you should expect 1 cup size increase at best. 
I wish you the best. 
Vasileios Vasilakis, MD, FACSDouble Board Certified Plastic SurgeonHouston, TX.

Mehmet Ozdemir, MD · Answer

Based on your photo, a detailed examination is needed to determine whether you have enough donor fat and if fat transfer is a suitable option for you.

Do I have enough fat to harvest for breast transfer? (Photo)

Answers (9)

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