NaturalFill To Increase Breast Size- Too Good To Be True?

The idea of taking your own fat from where you have extra and putting it into the breasts has been around for a long time, but the idea of giving it a brand name is new (NaturalFill? Really? Come on.) Although the procedure was considered risky when first introduced, it is now beginning to be done more commonly due to improved methods and more science. The maximum "take" per breast is about 200-250 cc however, which is equivalent to a smaller than average breast implant. Go to a plastic surgeon experienced with this rather than looking for the best deal.

Please find an experienced Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
and member of the Aesthetic Society using the Smart Beauty Guide. These Plastic Surgeons can guide you on all
aspects of facial surgery, breast augmentation and body procedures including
tummy tucks or mommy makeovers!



Fat grafting is a valuable tool in breast surgery. This technique has gained more popularity
over the past 7 years. There are many
techniques used to harvest the fat, process the fat and then re-inject the fat.
Conventional suction lipectomy is performed with a small diameter cannula,
processed by separating the liquid and fibrous tissue from the fat, and then
placed into syringes for re-injection or through a closed system.

Yes, it's too good to be true.  Some guy decides to slap a trademark name on fat grafting and it's a new and exciting procedure.  It's not.  The reality is they will do liposuction and inject the fat back into your breasts.  It's likely they won't wash the fat, strain it to reduce it to a small product and will inject as much as they can knowing that most of it will be reabsorbed by the body because it never got blood supply and died.

Fat grafting only works in areas of good blood supply and when the amount of fat is suitable for that blood supply to keep the fat alive.  Be smart and go with the most safe and reliable solution-implants.  All studies have indicated that breast implant are, and have always been, safe.

In a recently published study in the June 2011 issue of the Journal of Plastic
and Reconstructive Surgery, we demonstrated, using MRI measurements, a 250cc  average increase in breast size, or a doubling of breast size (116% increase)  using fat transplantation.

These and other objective  findings in our published study differ from many of the  opinions you are reading on this string about fat transplantation.  See the embedded video and attached link to study.  Certainly, there is alot of controversy on this topic,  but there is also too much opinion and we need to give patients more facts.

 

Daniel Del Vecchio, MD

bostonbreastcenter.com

 

 

Apart from "branded" names for the procedure, fat transfer to the breast is effective in increasing your breast size by a variable amount.  The actual amount of breast size increase depends on:


Your breast type and size. Smaller breasts can take less graft tissue but retain the most, with the greatest "cup" size increase

The availability of fat to transfer.  This fat has to be of good quality, preferably from areas of compact, healthy tissue.

The fat tissue has to be procured with extreme care and transferred with excellent technique for the best results.


In our results, some fat "goes away" but most of it is retained with a pleasant 1/2 to 1 cup size increase.  Experience of the surgeon and track record (with follow up mammograms) is essential. 

Fat grafting for breast augmentation has been around a very long time, and natural fill is a marketing term for a well known procedure. The results from fat grafting are modest, perhaps a half cup size, and are often associated with breast cysts and calcifications which can make the mammogram and breast self examination a difficult proposition. Not really such a bargain. We would suggest a surgeon who is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Best of luck, peterejohnsonmd

The idea of using fat for breast enhancement is very appealing and challenging. The concerns about the cyst and calcification's post injection are valid and need to be discussed  with the patient. You need to make sure that the surgeon is board certified plastic surgeon(not cosmetic, dentist or ER physician). I been doing the fat grafting for the last 5 years and have done follow up studies registered with NIH. You need to do you search and find the right surgeon.

You have the right idea - if it seems too good to be true, it usually is. Breast implant surgery has been around for about 50+ years. During that time, the implants and surgical procedures have improved tremendously. I would guess that the average price for silicone implants is $10,000 or so in the NYC region  Some surgeons are more expensive than others.

You are looking into a new procedure that takes fat from one area on your body and injects it into the breasts. Most of this fat then goes away. I have seen less than a one cup size increase that lasts for a short period of time. Also you can get cysts from the injected fat and calcifications that can mimic cancer when seen on x-rays. As a lot of the fat does not live, you can get infections and hard breasts.

If my wife or daughter wanted breast enhancement, I would only do implants not fat injections. When only one or two doctors do a procedure, you need to ask yourself why this is not widespread, that is because it is only experimental and not recommended by many skilled competent plastic surgeons.
 

Even though fat graft transfers have been around for many years, the idea of injecting breasts with fat has been controversial.  It does work and you can obtain subtle improvements, maybe a cup size increase, but the survival of the transferred fat is variable and sometimes the transferred fat dies.  When fat dies it is called "fat necrosis" and can liquefy and form a seroma that would need to be drained.  More importantly, when fat dies it can calcify and when seen on a mammogram it may be hard to distinguish from a breast cancer calcification.

The procedure has been more popular outside of the United States, perhaps because the legal system in the US has kept many physicians away from this procedure for fear of litigation.  Choose wisely!

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons Fat Grafting Task Force gathered many fine minds together to evaluate the safety of transferring fat to the breast.  The procedure has been shown to be safe, in that it does not interfere with screening for breast cancer and does not pose risk to cancer survivors.  The limitations of the technique are that only a small increase in size can be accomplished at one stage and that the amount of tissue that will "take" with a good blood supply is unpredictable. Often there is an improvement in breast shape without significant increase in size.  I like this procedure for the right woman. Make sure you are fully informed of its limitations and that it is a wise choice for you.  Good luck.