Can I have Breast Implant Removal + fat transfer in the same procedure?

Dear omnarmnarmnarms,

I understand your concern. It is best however that you consult with a board certified plastic surgeon to determine whether you can have several aesthetic surgeries in one session, as this would depend on various factors including but not limited to your general health condition, the type of anesthesia that will be used, and the type of surgeries that will be performed among others.


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

Omnarmnarmnarms,
In placing 600 cc implants and increasing your cup size from a small B to a DDD you have stretched you skin to reach this new size. When removing your implants, you will need to consider a breast lift for skin tightening and nipple position correction, as well as fat grafting for volume. And these can be done at the same time or staged. Some patients will elect to deflate their saline implants in the office 4 weeks before surgery to allow their skin to tighten some on its own. This may eliminate the need for the breast lift depending on how much your soft tissue envelope contracts on its own once the implant is deflated.
Dr Stein

Before deciding on the right procedure for you there are some considerations. I do not perform fat transfer to the breast as a form of augmentation as the fat can develop microcalcifications which can interfere with future breast imaging studies. Fat necrosis can occur as well asymmetry as all of the transferred fat does not generally "take". In many cases you can anticipate only one cup size of increase from this method and you still may need a breast lift. I encourage you to begin by visiting with a board certified plastic surgeon near you for a consultation to learn more about your options.

Breast fat grafting or transfer can increase the breast size to a limited extent only. Those with cup B minus and lower (A+ and A-), can only expect a half cup size increase while those with cup B+ and higher, may have 1 full cup size increase. The reason for this is that harvested fats require a fat layer where it can be grafted. And the breasts are made of breast tissues with varying amount of fats surrounding it. Therefore the space left for grafting become smaller and limited.Fats also cannot be grafted in bolus amount. It should be dispersed in small volumes to assure survivability.This now leads to the question on "fat transfer" after breast implants removal. The capsule (which holds the implant) left behind and the tissues surrounding this are generally poor in blood circulation. Grafting on these areas may not be a good idea as the risk for nonsurvival or "necrosis" of fats are high, leading to complications like abscess formation.