Breast Fat Transfer Techniques
A Breast Fat Transfer involves two operations. The first surgery is Liposuction. The second surgery involves processing and grafting the fat to the breasts.
LIPOSUCTION SURGERY
Liposuction surgery is a procedure that removes fat deposits from areas such as the abdomen, thighs or hips. It involves several steps to safely and efficiently extract body fat.
- Tumescent Liposuction: First, a saline solution containing a local anaesthetic and a vasoconstrictor (to reduce bleeding) is injected into the treatment area to loosen the fat cells. This makes removal easier.
- Power-assisted Liposuction: a cannula with a vibrating tip is inserted into the area through an incision (approx 4-5 mm). This is used to break up fat and is extracted from the body.
- The extracted fat is collected into a sterile, sealed container and is ready for transfer to the breasts.
The above method ensures that the collected fat remains viable for transfer.
FAT TRANSFER SURGERY
Once the fat is harvested and purified, it is prepared for injection into the breast tissue. The injection technique used is critical to the success of the fat transfer. Therefore, specific syringes and cannulas are used to deliver the fat to the desired region. Typically, there are two considerations in the fat delivery:
- Micro-droplet delivery: The fat is injected in small amounts throughout the breast tissue, ensuring even distribution and incremental increases in breast volume.
- Layering delivery: Fat is applied in thin layers to enhance breast shape, enabling greater precision.
Ultimately, the fat transfer is delivered in a way that ensures it is uniformly and evenly spread over the desired area, maximising the chance of survival.
Both methods focus on minimal scarring and promote fat cell survival by ensuring they receive an optimal blood supply, thereby increasing their chances of survival.
HYBRID BREAST AUGMENTATION (IMPLANTS + FAT TRANSFER)
Occasionally, some patients benefit from a combined procedure, using breast implants with some additional fat transfer to further refine and customise the results.
Although this is not for everyone, it is an option for a small group of patients. However, it’s important to note that most women are happy having silicone breast implants alone. Assuming the right implants are chosen and the surgery is performed well, there should be no need for a fat transfer at the same time.
