How many cup sizes will I grow? I'm a 32A and I am 5'2" and I'm 120lbs. How many cup sizes will I grow if I do a fat transfer?

    Fat grafting to the breasts can produce increases of 1 cup size or so.  Breast implants are probably better for larger augmentations.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

Thanks for your question.Fat transfer to the breasts will generally result in a relatively small size increase. There is also variability patient to patient in terms of the volume attained and duration of the result. Fat transfer also works best for breasts with minimal or no droop.Breast implants are predictable, safe, and are placed using well-established, elegant techniques. The main disadvantage of implants is that they are not lifetime devices.Determining whether you are a better candidate for fat transfer or implants requires a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon.Good luck. This is an evolving topic.

First of all, you need a breast lift by your description of "saggy and stretched," and you are petite and thin, giving little donor fat for transfer, certainly not enough for two cup sizes!Some of my colleagues believe that fat transfer for elective breast augmentation is appropriate and safe, but I remain unconvinced. I can tell you that I have been doing fat grafting (not to breasts) for over nearly 30 years, have presented at several plastic surgical and general surgical meetings on the topic of fat grafting, and have written about fat grafting in a book chapter and in the peer-reviewed literature, so I know a little about fat grafting, and do not "dismiss it" lightly.What I can tell you is that some of the grafted fat ALWAYS dies, and that dead fat can leave scar tissue and calcifications in the recipient area. In breasts, this can present a challenge for mammographic detection of breast cancer, which occurs in 1 in 9 women these days (more if you have a primary maternal relative with breast cancer history). Colleagues who do this (breast fat grafting) feel that expert breast radiologists can determine the mammographic difference between calcifications from dead (grafted) fat and calcifications in dead fat from cancer.I acknowledge that my radiology colleagues are great at what they do, and they probably CAN detect the differences between dead fat from two different causes--sometimes. But do you want to bet your life on that?I personally don't, especially since my breast augmentations with submuscular cohesive silicone gel implants are VERY natural. Perhaps even more natural than breasts with lumps of dead fat scarring and microcalcifications. Even if you find someone who will agree that fat grafting into  breasts for aesthetic reasons is an acceptable "risk," the costs are significantly more, still require a breast lift, and cannot achieve two cup size increase, even with multiple surgeries (and even more cost).Read more about breast augmentation in my Comprehensive Guide to Breast Augmentation by clicking on the web reference link below. Breast lift plus implants is a safer, less costly, and MORE natural option, IMHO. Best wishes! Dr. Tholen