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About this procedure

Using living fat for breast augmentation has many advantages, the most important of which is that the amount of fat which survives becomes a permanent, living part of you. An “autograft” refers to tissue taken from the same individual into which it is grafted. Fat cells can be successfully transferred from one part of the body to another, using highly specialized techniques that do not kill the cells. Do not consider laser liposuction or ultrasonic liposuction for harvesting the fat. These methods kill the fat before removing it, and will render the procedure unsuccessful.

Although fat grafting has been utilized in many other parts of the body, the techniques developed for its successful use in cosmetic breast enhancement are relatively new. In order to understand the process, one must consider the living cell and think about the blood supply necessary to supply the cell with nutrients and oxygen in order for it to survive. When there is minimal tissue into which the fat is to be grafted, there is a limited amount of fat that can be successfully placed and expected to survive. However, once there is additional living fat, it stimulates the body to make more blood vessels, and a greater matrix into which more fat cells can be grafted. This means enlarging the breasts through fat injection techniques may require more than one operation in order to achieve the enhancement the patient desires.

In addition to the use of repeat procedures, the use of external vacuum devices can serve to expand the skin and enhance the circulation so that more fat can be grafted than would otherwise be possible. Of course, this entire process depends on whether the patient has sufficient fat stores that can be used as donor sites. Otherwise, it is best to use the time-tested procedure of breast augmentation using a prosthetic device or breast implant.

Precautions

Fat injection grafting into the breast must be carefully done by an experienced surgeon in order to get the best results. It requires injection of small amounts of fat carefully woven into the interstices of living breast tissue. The fat must be harvested atraumatically and carefully prepared at the operating table in order to provide the optimal chances for success. Laser-lipo and ultasonic liposuction should be avoided, since these modalities kill the fat.

If you want to have very large breasts in one operation, this may not be the procedure for you. If you want the most natural result with living tissue as opposed to a prosthetic, manufactured implant device, which can have problems, and you are committed to going through with the process, then this procedure can provide you with the results you are looking for.


Breast Enlargement Through Fat Grafting

Breast Enlargement Through Fat Grafting before and after

Breast Enlargement By Fat Grafting

Breast Enlargement Through Fat Grafting before and after

Breast Enlargement By Fat Injection

Breast Enlargement Through Fat Grafting before and after

Breast Enlargement Through Fat Grafting

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Breast Enlargement By Fat Injection

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*All before and after photos are real patients of Fairbanks Plastic Surgery.