Summary
Some patients choose to refine their breast reconstruction by transferring fat from another area of their body to the reconstructed breast. This minimally invasive outpatient procedure is a natural tissue based option which can help address issues with breast contour or increase volume.
Surgeons harvest fat from donor sites like the abdomen, thighs, and hips via liposuction. The removed fat is prepared in the operating room and immediately grafted to the area in need. While the amount of fat that survives after the procedure varies patient to patient, what does survive should last a lifetime.
Fat harvested from elsewhere in the body is prepared during surgery and grafted into the reconstructed breast.
Types of Fat Grafting Procedures
Fat Grafting After Implant Reconstruction
Fat Grafting After Natural Tissue Reconstruction
Breast Reconstruction With Fat Grafting Alone
Procedure details:
- A plastic surgeon harvests fat from a donor site—typically the abdomen, thighs, or hips— using liposuction.
- The fat is prepared for immediate grafting in the operating room
- The fat is re-injected into areas of the breast that require volume
- After surgery, the patient’s body reabsorbs some fat
- Multiple procedures may be required to reach the desired volume and contour
Risks & Benefits
Fat necrosis can cause areas of firmness in a reconstructed breast. It is important to limit fat grafting at any one time to avoid this issue, among others.
Fat grafting over multiple staged procedures tends to be safe and reliable. Procedures are performed on an out-patient basis, meaning that patients go home on the day of surgery. This approach produces quality results which can restore volume and otherwise refine a breast reconstruction.