Augmentation of the Breast with Fat Transfer
This is one of my favorite procedures! Some surgeons call this Body Banking, but I just like to call it smart (Green) recycling. Fat can be moved out of an unfavorable area in the body, like the abdomen, back, thighs, or arms, and transferred to the Breast to provide soft and natural augmentation, with 100% long-term results. Some fat may absorb – up to 30% – but most will remain and treat its new location as its new home. One half to a full cup size may be gained with this procedure, with increasing size afforded additional fat transfer procedures. This augmentation is biological and dynamic: with weight gain, the breasts will grow, and with weight loss, they will get smaller. The other significant benefit provided by Fat Transfer is its stem cell effect, which can improve skin and tissue quality and give a fresher, more rejuvenated appearance.
Fat Transfer to the Breast is performed for cosmetic and reconstructive purposes. Cosmetic applications include straight-up augmentation, treatment of asymmetry, treatment of deformities and scarring from prior breast procedures, and filling after removing implants, with or without lift. With implant removal, decisions need to be made to manage the breast when implant replacement is not desired. Fat transfer provides a perfect option to conservatively improving breast size in women concerned about losing significant and desirable volume with implant removal. Staged fat augmentation procedures make larger breast size goals possible.
Recovery from fat transfer surgery is minimal. Incisions created are tiny, and downtime is at most about a week. My patients are walking immediately, driving within days of surgery, and participating in athletic workouts within a week to 10 days. Recovery will be longer with breast lift procedures, adding limitation to upper body strenuous activity for 3 to 4 weeks.
Many women are excellent candidates for Fat Transfer to the Breast. Please contact Dr. Shermak through her Contact Form at drshermak.com or call her office at 410-616-3000 to schedule an appointment if you are interested in this procedure and would like to explore this option with Dr. Shermak.
