Breast implant removal and fat grafting at the same time?

Question

Hi, I had breast implant in 2009 because due to my family's genetic, I have no breast at all, even the smallest bra cup is too big for me. So I went ahead and had sillicone implant. I can wear 32B or C. But since 2015, I have had health issues and still on going. Even I do not know if it's related, I still want to take it out. My concern is that anything can help give me the smallest breast that I can wear a bra? Is fat grafting at the same time possible. I'm very skinny and have very little fat

Roger Tsai, MD · Answer

Yes it is possible to do at the same time.  However what is more important is that your health issues are stable.  This is an elective procedure and the last thing you want happen is some complication from anesthesia just to have implants removed.  Another factor to consider is you need a moderate amount of fat.  Going from no breast to a B/C cup means you have a moderate to larger sized implant in your breast.  This volume needs to be replaced with fat.  If you have very little fat, it may not be possible to get your breasts to the size they are now.  If you decide to proceed, you may need to realize that your breast size may not be as full as you like.  However these are just general thoughts, only with a proper in person physical examination can an appropriate recommendation be given.  This way the surgeon can see how much fatty tissue you have and provide options.Best of luck and hope this information helps!- Dr. Roger Tsai@DrRogerTsai

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Fat grafting is an excellent modality to restore your breast shape after explant surgery. Best, Dr. KaramanoukianLos Angeles

Yuly Gorodisky, DO, FACOS · Answer

In order to answer your question, you have to be seen in person for a consultation and your personal "health issues" have to be reviewed to make sure there are no contraindications.  But in general, if a patient has enough fat to remove from some areas, it is possible to transfer it to the breast after taking the implants out.

Camille Cash, MD · Answer

Be sure to educate yourself before considering fat grafting.  When fat is taken from a donor site and transferred not all of the fat will "take".  This can result in asymmetry and the need for multiple procedures.  In addition microcalcifications can form which can interfere with mammography.  If you are very thin you may not have enough fat to donate which is another consideration.

Michael Hakimi, MD · Answer

Yes it is a good option. The caveat is building a breast with fat is like making sand castle. You cant really get the projection you can get with silicone implants. This can be done either at the same time or at a later time.

Of course, nothing can replace an examination by your surgeon to see if you have enough fat. If you have a small frame, you may not need much fat to give you a B cup.

Milind K. Ambe, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question.  Main thing is your overall health is stable for you to have an elective surgery.  Then this question requires an in person consultation to see the integrity of your breast tissue and to determine if you even have enough fat to graft.  That being said fat grafting is unpredictable and because of it a lot of surgeons do not perform fat grafting in the breast area.  I am personally not a big fan of it.  Perhaps you would want to switch to a saline implant? Best of luck to you

Connie Hiers, MD, FACS · Answer

You will need to check with your medical doctor to see if your health issues will still allow elective surgery. If you have enough fat to donate, a fat transfer can be a nice options. I would suggest meeting with a board certified plastic surgeon and discussing all your options.

Samir Shureih, MD · Answer

Since you have "medical issues" then these medical issues should be worked up and investigated by the different specialties.An MRI of the breast to evaluate the integrity of the implants.If you are removing the implants because of "health issues" then the explant should be enblock with total capsulectomy.

Edward J. Domanskis, MD (in memoriam) · Answer

Yes, you can have fat grafting to your breasts after your breast implants are removed but the results will depend a lot on how much fat you have to transfer. Usually, because I do purify the fat that is removed, the amount that results is less than I extract.

Juris Bunkis, MD, FACS - Account Suspended · Answer

I don't know what your "health issues" are but it is very unlikely that they are implant related.    If you are really that small to begin with, you will feel uncomfortable with your body after you remove the implants.   Health issues should be addressed first.    If you do decide to take out your implants and had very little breast tissue in the first place, I doubt that you would have enough breast tissue to inject with fat.   Secondly, if you are very thin, I doubt that you would have enough donor fat to achieve a reasonable enlargement with the fat grafting.

Breast implant removal and fat grafting at the same time?

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Answers (10)

More Breast Implant Removal Questions

Follow-up Question: What happens if the capsule is left in during explant?

Would like to get a general price for breast implant removal in California

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