Can fat be transferred to any area of the breast or just the upper pole?

Yes, fat can be transferred to any part of the breast which has a good blood supply. It is typically used to improve skin quality, breast volume and shape, or to disguise implant rippling or palpability.

Excellent question. Fat can be grafted in any portion of the breast area, including the lower pole and either side. It is important to note that when it comes to fat grafting, the amount of breast tissue and subcutaneous tissue present at baseline will dictate how much fat can be transferred with success. For example, patients with more tissue have more areas that the transferred fat can incorporate into and survive due to the blood supply to those areas. Conversely, patients with very little tissue (or patients with a history of mastectomy), there is less tissue to inject that transferred fat into. This means that smaller volumes can be transferred at one time, and, often times multiple surgeries are needed to build up to the desired volume.
If you already have an implant in place, fat grafting can be a great adjunct to add a little more volume and to blend the implant into the chest to make a more natural result. Often times, the step off from the implant in the upper pole is blended with fat to make a smoother transition. This is a popular place to transfer fat, but it is not the only place where fat can be transferred. Every patient has a different chest wall anatomy and shape, so the placement of fat can be individualized to each patient. The decision ultimately based on a conversation between you and your plastic surgeon to see what is best for you given your anatomy/frame and your ultimate goals.

Thank you for your question regarding the area of the breast that fat transfer can be performed on.

In my practice, depending on the patient, I am able to inject the fat in any area of the breast.

I recommend that you have an in person consultation with two or more experienced board-certified plastic surgeons in your area to talk about your goals and realistic expectations.

Fat grafts can be injected to any site in the breast where volume and shape is needed. However, presence of the scar and limitted amount of recipient tissue may preclude spectacular result. Usually several stages of fat transfer (2-4) may be needed to achieve desired result. Other types of reconstruction like latissimus dorsi flap, may be used in order to achieve mayor volume/shape change. Hope this helps.

Hello @booboo32, thank you for your question. Yes, fat transfer can add volume to any area of the breast, including the lower portion. The surgical plan depends on individual goals and expectations of the patient. During a consultation, a board-certified plastic surgeon will evaluate your breast tissue and discuss your desired outcome to determine the best approach for you. Best wishes! Alan Gonzalez MD, FACS. American Society of Plastic Surgery Member (ASPS), International Federation for Adipose Therapeutics and Science” Member (IFATS), Colombian Society of Plastic Surgery member (SCCP).

Yes! Fat can be transferred to any area of the breast where there is sufficient soft tissue to support the fat grafts, including the sides or lower pole. If you are post-mastectomy, there may not be sufficient space to place a large volume of fat under the skin or soft tissue overlying the implant. In this case, it may require several sessions to build up the soft tissue with fat. Radiation can also impact your results in multiple ways.
The alternative to implant-based reconstruction is termed autologous reconstruction, which utilizes your own tissue transferred from areas such as the lower abdomen, back or thighs. This is an option for many women with unsatisfactory result after implant reconstruction. Your plastic surgeon should be able to better guide you in your specific case.

Dear booboo32,
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, MDCertified, American Board of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Fat can be added where there is breast tissue or fat, deep skin layer, and in some muscle. However, there is more risk in placing fat in muscle and most muscle does not support fat naturally.

Fat may be transferred to anywhere in the breasts, just not safely injected into the muscle (Pectoralis). This being said, post mastectomy, you may have little space to inject the fat. Therefore, you may require several fat transfers separated by 6 months apart to better build up the subcutaneous fat layer.
Best wishes,
Dr. Taranow

Each plastic surgeon will do this procedure their own way.
I generally graft the entire breast and even doing that and doing it well still leaves subtle results. In order for fat grafting to be successful there has to be an abundance of host tissue to support the graft. Grafting areas that don’t have soft tissue already in place to support the graft leads to high graft failure.
For example, if you had a mastectomy, during which most of the subcutaneous fat was removed. Then you don’t have host tissue to support grafted fat.
Every particle of grafted fat has to be surrounded by live vascular tissue in order for the grafted fat to remain viable and become revascularized.Patients who’ve had mastectomies with unsuccessful implant reconstruction may be candidates for an alternative reconstruction method using autologous tissue, such as a latissimus flap or TRAM flap, or a DIEP flap. Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD