How long should I wait after a first surgery to get breast fat transfer?

Generally, 3-6 months to allow your body to heal and be able to withstand another surgery.

This does vary greatly with individual patients and usually the next surgery would be easier recovery than the tummy tuck.

We have had patients return in 6 weeks or so.

Discuss with your/a plastic surgeon for best game plan.

In fat injection, the quality of the fat is as important as the procedure performed. If fat is to be taken from a place where liposuction has not been performed before, you can have this procedure done after at least 6 weeks when you feel good. However, if fat is to be taken from a place where liposuction has been performed, you need to wait until the 6th month when healing and edema are at a minimum.

Thank you for your query. While there is no need to wait beyond six weeks, i would recommend giving it a full three months from your first surgery. For liposuction of your back you will have to lie on your stomach and it will be better when the abdomen has healed more. Do discuss all your concerns with your surgeon. All the best!

Dear Helpful16360,

you should wait until you are fully healed prior to another elective procedure. If you are considering surgery, I would suggest you consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination, you will get more information and recommendations.

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

Hello, as long as you've healed up fine, you can do it at any time. The upper back doesn't provide enough fat to make a difference. Adding additional untouched Lipo areas would add more fat to use in the transfer. We can do all of this under Local Anesthesia, so you wouldn't have to be under general for an extended amount of time.

Thank you for posting your question here!My answer will be based on the limited information provided, for a detailed and personalized plan I would recommend consulting with your surgeon in person!
determining when to do your next step will depend on many factors chief amongst them is how yo are healing , it sounds like you had a lot of procedures done under one setting which is a big assault on your system that your body needs time to heal from. I understand your desire to have your breast fullness as soon as possible to match what you have already achieved with your body but I would recommend discussing the situation with your surgeon in details , doing liposuction on your back will require initial prone positioning ( placing you on your belly) and this will put a strain on your surgical areas etc , not t mention that if you are still recovering from your previous surgery adding additional recovery to it will just slow the process. Usually I would recommend waiting 6 months between surgeries , but if you are healing phenomenally well your surgeon might shorten that duration, but I would encourage you to have that discussion with your surgeon.I hope this helps, best of luck!

Since you had a tummy tuck I suggest waiting for 3 months from your surgery and be fully recovered before considering a second procedure. However, it could be done as soon as 8 eight if everything is healing well and your surgeon agrees. Talk to your surgeon. Remember, fat is placed into actual breast tissue. If you have no upper breast tissue, implants behind the muscle would be a better option.

If your goal is to restore volume in the upper half of your breast, then implant augmentation is usually a much better option than fat transfer.
Fat transfer can modestly increase women’s size by about 1/2 cup sometimes one cup in certain cases.
The procedure does not however, change breast shape in any significant way.
It does not selectively add volume in the upper half of the breast.
If you only graft fat in the upper half of the breast that chain is going to be so subtle, you may not notice it.
Breast fat transfer is somewhat unpredictable, but it’s very nature and usually delivers only subtle results.
When reviewing before, and after pictures, always confirm the timeframe of when pictures were taken.
Early fat transfer results can look very impressive, but do not in any way represent final long-term outcomes.
Delivering consistent results with both Liposuction and fat transfer is more difficult than most people realize.
Provider selection is key.
Not only for the technical ability to do the procedure, but also to accurately assess and communicate what can and cannot be achieved with the procedure.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD