Fat transfer to breasts : Will the results be long-term or only last for a period of time?

For small volumes, fat grafting can be advantageous. Not all of the fat stays, but what does usually is long lasting. An exam and consultation with a plastic surgeon who performs these procedures is recommended to discuss your options and concerns.

About 50% of the fat obtains permanence.Kenneth Hughes, MDBeverly Hills, CA..........................

Hi. The reality of fat grafting to the breast is that it is unreliable. Using exactly the same technique and volume in the same place in 2 different patients can give different results. One patient might get 100 % take of the graft and one might get 20%. Whatever 'takes' will be permanent. Regards Damien

It's a permanent change but aging still continues so there will be normal alterations with time.  After fat transfer, there will always be more fullness in the breasts than there would have been if the procedure never happened.  The fat survival percentage is the key question; It varies but it's close to 50%.  It doesn't burn any bridges and you can always proceed with implant placement if you seek additional volume enhancement later on. 

Thank you for your question. Other MDs here have written excellent responses, so I will only contribute my opinion. Fat transfer to the breasts is still in early exploration and there are a few centers who have had good success. It is unpredictable and the amount of fat that can be transferred is minimal to obtain good take of the fat. The fat will not "go" anywhere, it will just get resorbed by your body. In addition, it is possible that when the fat dissolves, it can leave behind calcifications that can lead to abnormal mammography findings in the future. If you are a person who is absolutely against implants and are only looking to make a very modest increase in size, and you are willing to take on the additional risk of a procedure that does not have much long term data, then this may be an option for you. Good luck!

The results are long lasting, but the amount of fat that initially takes is less predictable.Also, the procedure is not the best option in someone who wants a large size increase.

Thank you for your question. The results are long term. Some of the fat that is injected will go away after surgery. The majority of the fat will stay and is permanent.  The surgery typically takes about a hour and a half to preform. The recovery in my patients is very quick. I hope you find this information useful.  

I prefer to augment the breasts using implants because I feel that the results are more reliable. Best of luck.

Large volume fat grafting to the breasts (over 150-200cc/breast) is unpredictable and can lead to other problems.  The "take" of the fat cells go down as the volume transferred goes up.  The cells are starved for blood supply and can lead to problems such as fat necrosis and contour irregularities. 

Dr Singer has written a definitive explanation of the question. Fat transfer has not been studied longitudinally for a sufficient time period. We do know that a significant amount of fat is resorbed and that this can be "lopsided" for lack of a better word. We hear of its increasingly popularity because it doesn't sound like a surgical procedure and avoids the recovery from augmentation, but it is not a procedure I can wholeheartedly endorse.