If you’ve always wished for larger, fuller breasts but wondered if you had any alternatives to breast implants, the answer is that you do. Fat transfer can give you plumper breasts without any risks of rejection of implants.
Fat transfer is what it sounds like: we take the fat out of unwanted parts of your body by liposuction and transfer it to your breasts. The providers at Advanced Plastic Surgery Center explain more about this procedure and whether or not you should consider having it done.
How fat transfer differs from breast implants
Both fat transfer and implants offer a means to augment your breasts. You can make them bigger and fuller, regardless of your preferred method.
The main differences include:
Amount of desired increase
If you just want your breasts to have more fullness, fat transfer may be better. If you want to go for larger breasts–like several cups bigger–implants are more likely to achieve the desired effects.
How natural you want them to feel
Fat transfer will always achieve results that feel more natural since your breasts are made of fat already. Although our providers are very skilled at breast augmentation with implants and work to give them as natural of a profile as possible, implants always feel a bit less natural than fat transfer.
Amount of time for recovery
The recovery time after breast implants compared to fat transfer is quite different. You will usually have some soreness with fat transfer for about a week after the procedure.
After breast implants, you may feel better within a couple of weeks, but it takes a full six weeks for full recovery,
The fat transfer procedure
You’ll be under general anesthesia or local anesthesia with twilight sedation.
Using the fat transfer procedure for breast enhancement is a two-stage process. First, liposuction harvests fat from an area of your body where you can spare it. For most women, this is the hips, flanks, or thighs.
The fat is then purified before it is transferred back into your breasts. When fat is removed, it also includes a type of fluid that has to be separated from the fat.
Then, the fat is transplanted to your breasts by syringes or cannulas (thin tubes.)
The whole procedure usually takes 2-6 hours, depending on the amount of fat being transferred.
What to expect after fat transfer
You may experience some soreness and bruising, both on your breasts and at the liposuction site. It is usually minimal, and you will either receive a prescription for pain relievers or be advised to take over-the-counter pain relievers.
Your immediate results after the procedure will likely be a bit different than they will after several weeks. At first, your breasts may look larger than expected. This is usually due to swelling, and it will go down.
You can gently massage your breasts if they’re painful, but you should avoid manipulating the breast tissue. You can still be intimate but should try to protect your fat cells as much as possible.
Swelling in the liposuctioned areas will also go down over time, and you’ll begin to see the true body contouring effects.
Over time, some of the fat cells that are transferred to your breasts will not survive; this is expected. About three months after the procedure, up to half of the fat cells will die.
By a year after the procedure, your results should be permanent.
Concerns and cautions
In a pre-op consultation, your provider will fully assess your health. We’ll evaluate if you’re a good candidate for the procedure.
If you smoke, you’ll be advised to stop. Smoking significantly increases the risks of undergoing this procedure.
If you’re generally in good health and are looking to increase the volume of your breasts, fat transfer is often an excellent option, especially if your breasts have lost fullness due to pregnancy or weight loss.
Contact the providers at Advanced Plastic Surgery Center today or schedule an appointment for a consultation online.
