Are there less invasive procedures that can be used as an alternative to breast augmentation?

Question

I'm super queezy and freaked out by surgery, what do you recommend....... for a 32 yo woman with small breasts and just wants a nice full B. Are there any new procedures that are even less invasive than current technology I should hold out for???

Peter D. Geldner, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question. As of now, there are two ways to enhance breast size: breast augmentation with implants (saline or silicone gel), and fat transfer. Both alternatives involve some sort of surgery. Brava was an interesting option many years ago. It required no surgery and was interesting concept. It is no longer available. The results were modest. To my knowledge, there is no accepted nonsurgical option for breast enhancement which has been FDA approved.

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear Laineypoo1234,
fat transfer breast augmentation is a viable alternative for women who desire larger breasts without the use of implants. Fat transfer is also widely used in reconstruction of the breast after a mastectomy or lumpectomy. It can also be very effective in correcting the size and shape of the breasts due to genetic problems such as tuberous breast or Poland Syndrome, two conditions that look like misshapen or underdeveloped breasts.In addition, the following scenarios are also reason to consider breast fat grafting:• If you have chest areas that appear creased and sunken• If you desire more permanent correction than is provided by temporary fillers• If you wish to improve your body contour, revise scars, fill bodily depressions and rejuvenate the natural curve of your breasts• To fill in contour irregularities or hide obvious signs of breast implantsYou should discuss your concerns with a board certified plastic surgeon and make sure your surgeon understands your concerns and your breast augmentation goals. 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

Ronald J. Edelson, MD · Answer

They’ve tried all kinds of things. Creams, suction devices, you name it. Of course none of them work. I’m sure there will be new gimmicks out there in the future too and I doubt they will work either

Michael J. Stein, MD, FACS · Answer

Good Question. Most breast augmentations are done with silicone or saline implants, HOWEVER, another options is taking your own fat via liposuction and injecting it into the breast to increase the size. 
This is a great option. 
Positives- it uses your own tissues so there is nothing foreign in your body. The liposuction also offers secondary aesthetic benefits to the area the fat is extracted from. 
Negatives- you are limited by how much fat you can inject so usually its best for more modest increases in breast size.

Connie Hiers, MD, FACS · Answer

There are only two options--implants and fat. Fat transfers are limited to the amount of donor fat present and the amount of actual breast tissue present. You may or may not have enough for both. Implants are more reliable in the size achieved. Go for an examination and find out what is realistic for you.  If you are "super queezy" about surgery, then use padding inside your bra.

Libby Copeland-Halperin, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question! There are several ways to increase the fullness of your breasts. One option is with saline or silicone implants. However, it is also possible to increase the fullness of your breasts using your own fat in a technique called “autologous fat transfer.” Using this technique, liposuction is performed to remove fat from one area of your body (such as your thighs, tummy, or hips) and transfer it to your breasts to give you a natural-looking result without the use of implants. I perform fat grafting and breast implant procedures in my fully-accredited operating room under IV sedation administered by board-certified anesthesiologists. I cannot say what would be the best approach for you without examining you, but I recommend you meet with a fully-trained plastic surgeon to discuss all of your options. It is important to feel comfortable with your surgeon and to be sure he or she understands your goals.

Cassie Nghiem, MD · Answer

Hi Laineypoo1234, excellent question. Unfortunately, there are no non-surgical options that will give you the same effect as surgery. Creams, suction-cups, other non-medical devices are not effective in the long term. For breast augmentation, you can either choose to add an implant or your own fat. Hope that helps!

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

If you want to have larger breasts then you should find the best breast plastic surgeon in your community and have a consultation regarding getting implants.
Implants is the best way to augment your breast and is the gold standard.
To maximize long-term patient satisfaction and minimize having a negative experience I recommend patient be highly selective and that multiple providers before choosing who is going to do the operation.
Do that by having multiple in person consultations.
Ask each provider to open up your portfolio and show you their entire collection of before and after pictures especially of previous patients who had similar chest characteristics to your own.
There are a lot of variables to review and a lot of information to cover during a comprehensive thorough consultation.
A quality consultation can take up to an hour.
Schedule at least five in person consultations with local board-certified plastic surgeons and consider scheduling more if needed.
You will begin to get a good assessment and understanding of treatment options as you practice having more consultations.
You should push providers to show you as many before and after pictures as possible especially of previous patients who his chest and breast look similar to yours.
Ask providers to show you examples of excellent outcomes, average outcomes and outcomes that did not turn out as well as they had hoped. I asked him specifically what their revision Raiders and what the revision policy is.
Ask them about what complications they’ve had in the past and how they managed those.
You should also ask about the frequency of those complications.
Plastic surgeons may be apprehensive to simply open up their portfolio and let you look at all of their results.
They will most likely prefer to show you preselected images representing the best results of their career. this is however insufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results look like or how many of these procedures they’ve actually performed.
For reference an experienced surgeon should have no difficulty showing you at least 50 send some before and after pictures of commonly performed procedures like breast augmentation using implants.
Fat transfer is an option but it is inferior to implants by almost every measure except the fact that implants require having a foreign body.
It is also much more difficult to find somebody who is a true expert at breast-fed transfer in comparison to augmentation using implants.
For liposuction and the fat transfer patients need to be more selective then they may think is necessary when it comes to choosing a provider. Delivering consistent quality liposuction and fat transfer results is more difficult than most people believe. liposuction and fat transfer has more variation in outcomes based purely on what surgeon does the procedure compared to any other plastic surgery operation I’ve ever seen.
Implants is generally a better option.
I recommend you start with five in person consultations and consider scheduling more if needed.
I recommend patients avoid virtual consultations whenever possible and I highly recommend avoiding traveling long distances for elective surgical procedures.
Consulting with anybody other than the surgeon who is going to do your procedure should be a big red flag.
When in doubt slow down and schedule more consultations.
Find the right plastic surgeon and everything falls into place.

Derek Fletcher, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

The two most reliable and well studied options for augmenting breast size are implants and fat grafting. Please post photos (frontal, oblique, and side views) so I can give you an accurate assessment of which option may be best suited for your goals.

George Lefkovits, MD - Account Suspended · Answer

Breast Augmentation continues to be one of the most popular, if not  the most popular procedure in the United States. It is usually performed under general anesthesia and takes about 1 hour to perform. Because it is under general anesthesia, you don't feel any pain or discomfort during the surgery. Impalnts are usually used, although fat transfer may be considered as an alternative. Consult with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon with lots of experience performing the procedure. Good luck!

Are there less invasive procedures that can be used as an alternative to breast augmentation?

Answers (10)

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