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A Year Later and Quite Disappointed
Just a follow-up on my previous review, written over a year ago. I wanted to warn others that fat transferred to your breasts can cause confusing mammogram readings, possibly necessitating an ultrasound and even a biopsy (as almost happened to me!). Not fun!
As for my results--breasts are still the same size, my dimpling of the thighs has gotten worse and my butt is saggier than ever, since there is no thigh fat to support it. Another unwanted effect of this surgery is that I'm noticeably skinnier now (with no thigh fat and a sunken butt!) and have been receiving comments in this regard, while everyone else during COVID has gained weight. I'm sure friends think I am bulimic! I'm not an attractive site. Undergoing this surgery has been the biggest regret in my entire life--don't let it be yours!
As for my results--breasts are still the same size, my dimpling of the thighs has gotten worse and my butt is saggier than ever, since there is no thigh fat to support it. Another unwanted effect of this surgery is that I'm noticeably skinnier now (with no thigh fat and a sunken butt!) and have been receiving comments in this regard, while everyone else during COVID has gained weight. I'm sure friends think I am bulimic! I'm not an attractive site. Undergoing this surgery has been the biggest regret in my entire life--don't let it be yours!
If You're Thin and Want to Increase Your Bust Size, Think Twice Before Having Fat Transfer
Expectations
Prior to having fat-transfer-to-breast surgery, I tried to temper my expectations. I’d done tons of reading and knew that I shouldn’t expect a significant increase, that I would bound to be disappointed as swelling decreased along with the size of my breasts, that some fat would die, and finally, that, per my surgeon, I would only achieve a half cup size, if that.
I had convinced myself prior to surgery that this was a long-term strategy to increase my breast size—that after I reached menopause and gained weight, it would surely go to my breasts, since that’s where my most resistant fat was being transferred (who knows if this will actually occur). I also secretly hoped that I would luck out and be one of those rare ladies who achieve and retain, a full cup size. Probably not realistic to expect, given my low weight.
Despite all of this mental preparation, I am still disappointed by my fat-transfer-to-breast, and the unexpected, negative results that this surgery wrought upon my body.
The Surgeon and Surgery
I chose Dr. Kamakshi Zeidler due to her impressive credentials and expertise, as well as her use of Pure Graft and Hydrasolve. Pure Graft reduces the overall length of the surgery (mine was 2.5 hours, versus what most likely would’ve been four hours) and promises to deliver a cleaner graft, which means a higher retention rate (80%). I could not a find a plastic surgeon in my state who uses Pure Graft for fat-transfer-to-breasts! It does add $1000 to the surgery expenses, since it can only be used during one surgery. Hydrasolve is a gentle form of liposuction that’s less traumatic to the extracted fat, and possibly resulting in less bruising for the patient. The total cost was $10,000 (though it cost me more, due to paying for flights and an Airbnb).
The Aesthetx staff was great, and I liked how they all introduced themselves as a group to me, just prior to being wheeled into the operating room. I had given my surgeon carte blanche to extract fat wherever she could find it, but thankfully during my pre-op consult she warned me if she took too much fat from any one area, such as my stomach (where I wanted it all suctioned away), this would result in surface irregularities, such as bumps and cellulite. She ended up doing 8 incisions: 2 from my abdomen, one in the middle of my lower back, one just below my tailbone, 2 under my buttocks (to reach my thighs), and 1 under each armpit. She suctioned 1000 cc total, and purified, then transferred, 415 cc of it. She purposefully did not overfill my breasts, because that can lead to fat necrosis and cysts, later down the road.
Recovery
Recovery was painful. The compression garments were super-tight, so tight that I almost immediately stopped wearing the bra, since it was compressing whatever invisible fat had been transferred (you’re not supposed to put pressure on them the first few weeks). I really tried to wear the abdominal/leg compression garment 24/7 the first day, but with my swelling and the foam inserts, it felt like it was crushing my internal organs, so, I ended up wearing it just for a few hours the first few days, then more consistently starting a week later. It did help with lower back pain, and is supposed to help decrease swelling, etc. I can’t blame my nurse for selecting the size that she did—I don’t have a high hip-waist ration, so really, she had to choose between getting a Small (thus compressing my belly and thighs) or a Medium, which would’ve allowed me to breathe and digest better, but wouldn’t have helped my thighs.
My stomach and lower back pain were the worst, and made getting up and laying down in bed, quite excruciating. When I woke up at night, which occurred multiple times the first couple of nights, I would clutch my belly in pain, and do a hunched-over shuffle to the bathroom.
I finally checked out my body after a few days: My swollen breasts were the perfect size for my body. My stomach looked much flatter, but everything else was swollen, and my butt seemed higher (due to fat loss of the upper thighs).
After about 9-10 days, the swelling in my breasts had disappeared completely, and along with it, my breast size. From reading others’ reviews, it seemed like my deflation occurred at a much more rapid rate than others’.
Dr. Zeidler had advised me to begin myofascial release massage therapy a couple of days after surgery (at least within the 1st 3 weeks), to prevent lumps and bumps beneath the surface of my skin, but I couldn’t even imagine anyone touching my bruised thighs that soon after surgery. Also, I could not (and still cannot) find a massage therapist to do this, due to COVID. She advised me to try self-massage techniques, if possible, so, when I felt able to stand pressure on my thighs (about 1.5 weeks later), I started. At that point in time, I noticed some lines under my buttocks, hanging folds of skin, where fat used to support my butt, and some cellulite where none had been, previously. To prevent them from getting worse, I tried using a trigger point massage tool, a roller, dry brushing and even red light therapy, over a period of time. Nothing helped, and my thighs have gotten worse every single day. I now have tons of cellulite under my butt, and the folds have not faded. You truly do not appreciate what you have, till it’s gone !! I intend to try radiofrequency and cupping when I’m able!
It’s been two months and I still have a bit of numbness, knottiness and swelling on my sides! Oh yeah, and there were some intense periods of itching, which correlated with the healing process. The scars under my armpits disappeared within the first week, the ones on back within about 3 weeks, but the abdominal and under-buttock scars are still quite noticeable, despite the twice daily application of the expensive scar cream they recommended. As for my breast size itself, since I cannot currently access my pre-op photos (due to COVID office shut down) and I did not take any pre-surgery measurements, it’s difficult to see whether any fat has actually retained.
Final Thoughts
After reading through the most positive reviews not only in Real Self, but via YouTube first-hand accounts, it seems like the patients who feel the most satisfied with this particular procedure fall into two categories:
1) People who have had their implants explanted and therefore have larger breast envelopes to fill. You can transfer more fat into larger spaces, and it’s more likely to survive without the compression of tight skin and breast tissue surrounding it.
2) People whose primary goal is to get rid of excess fat.
In other words: Not me! I cannot recommend this procedure for anyone who fits my profile. The pain, cost, scars, minimal if non-existent gains, and worst of all, the new cellulite on my thighs are just not worth it.
Prior to having fat-transfer-to-breast surgery, I tried to temper my expectations. I’d done tons of reading and knew that I shouldn’t expect a significant increase, that I would bound to be disappointed as swelling decreased along with the size of my breasts, that some fat would die, and finally, that, per my surgeon, I would only achieve a half cup size, if that.
I had convinced myself prior to surgery that this was a long-term strategy to increase my breast size—that after I reached menopause and gained weight, it would surely go to my breasts, since that’s where my most resistant fat was being transferred (who knows if this will actually occur). I also secretly hoped that I would luck out and be one of those rare ladies who achieve and retain, a full cup size. Probably not realistic to expect, given my low weight.
Despite all of this mental preparation, I am still disappointed by my fat-transfer-to-breast, and the unexpected, negative results that this surgery wrought upon my body.
The Surgeon and Surgery
I chose Dr. Kamakshi Zeidler due to her impressive credentials and expertise, as well as her use of Pure Graft and Hydrasolve. Pure Graft reduces the overall length of the surgery (mine was 2.5 hours, versus what most likely would’ve been four hours) and promises to deliver a cleaner graft, which means a higher retention rate (80%). I could not a find a plastic surgeon in my state who uses Pure Graft for fat-transfer-to-breasts! It does add $1000 to the surgery expenses, since it can only be used during one surgery. Hydrasolve is a gentle form of liposuction that’s less traumatic to the extracted fat, and possibly resulting in less bruising for the patient. The total cost was $10,000 (though it cost me more, due to paying for flights and an Airbnb).
The Aesthetx staff was great, and I liked how they all introduced themselves as a group to me, just prior to being wheeled into the operating room. I had given my surgeon carte blanche to extract fat wherever she could find it, but thankfully during my pre-op consult she warned me if she took too much fat from any one area, such as my stomach (where I wanted it all suctioned away), this would result in surface irregularities, such as bumps and cellulite. She ended up doing 8 incisions: 2 from my abdomen, one in the middle of my lower back, one just below my tailbone, 2 under my buttocks (to reach my thighs), and 1 under each armpit. She suctioned 1000 cc total, and purified, then transferred, 415 cc of it. She purposefully did not overfill my breasts, because that can lead to fat necrosis and cysts, later down the road.
Recovery
Recovery was painful. The compression garments were super-tight, so tight that I almost immediately stopped wearing the bra, since it was compressing whatever invisible fat had been transferred (you’re not supposed to put pressure on them the first few weeks). I really tried to wear the abdominal/leg compression garment 24/7 the first day, but with my swelling and the foam inserts, it felt like it was crushing my internal organs, so, I ended up wearing it just for a few hours the first few days, then more consistently starting a week later. It did help with lower back pain, and is supposed to help decrease swelling, etc. I can’t blame my nurse for selecting the size that she did—I don’t have a high hip-waist ration, so really, she had to choose between getting a Small (thus compressing my belly and thighs) or a Medium, which would’ve allowed me to breathe and digest better, but wouldn’t have helped my thighs.
My stomach and lower back pain were the worst, and made getting up and laying down in bed, quite excruciating. When I woke up at night, which occurred multiple times the first couple of nights, I would clutch my belly in pain, and do a hunched-over shuffle to the bathroom.
I finally checked out my body after a few days: My swollen breasts were the perfect size for my body. My stomach looked much flatter, but everything else was swollen, and my butt seemed higher (due to fat loss of the upper thighs).
After about 9-10 days, the swelling in my breasts had disappeared completely, and along with it, my breast size. From reading others’ reviews, it seemed like my deflation occurred at a much more rapid rate than others’.
Dr. Zeidler had advised me to begin myofascial release massage therapy a couple of days after surgery (at least within the 1st 3 weeks), to prevent lumps and bumps beneath the surface of my skin, but I couldn’t even imagine anyone touching my bruised thighs that soon after surgery. Also, I could not (and still cannot) find a massage therapist to do this, due to COVID. She advised me to try self-massage techniques, if possible, so, when I felt able to stand pressure on my thighs (about 1.5 weeks later), I started. At that point in time, I noticed some lines under my buttocks, hanging folds of skin, where fat used to support my butt, and some cellulite where none had been, previously. To prevent them from getting worse, I tried using a trigger point massage tool, a roller, dry brushing and even red light therapy, over a period of time. Nothing helped, and my thighs have gotten worse every single day. I now have tons of cellulite under my butt, and the folds have not faded. You truly do not appreciate what you have, till it’s gone !! I intend to try radiofrequency and cupping when I’m able!
It’s been two months and I still have a bit of numbness, knottiness and swelling on my sides! Oh yeah, and there were some intense periods of itching, which correlated with the healing process. The scars under my armpits disappeared within the first week, the ones on back within about 3 weeks, but the abdominal and under-buttock scars are still quite noticeable, despite the twice daily application of the expensive scar cream they recommended. As for my breast size itself, since I cannot currently access my pre-op photos (due to COVID office shut down) and I did not take any pre-surgery measurements, it’s difficult to see whether any fat has actually retained.
Final Thoughts
After reading through the most positive reviews not only in Real Self, but via YouTube first-hand accounts, it seems like the patients who feel the most satisfied with this particular procedure fall into two categories:
1) People who have had their implants explanted and therefore have larger breast envelopes to fill. You can transfer more fat into larger spaces, and it’s more likely to survive without the compression of tight skin and breast tissue surrounding it.
2) People whose primary goal is to get rid of excess fat.
In other words: Not me! I cannot recommend this procedure for anyone who fits my profile. The pain, cost, scars, minimal if non-existent gains, and worst of all, the new cellulite on my thighs are just not worth it.
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