Procedure steps
Fat transfer breast augmentation is typically performed by a board-certified cosmetic plastic surgeon and involves the following steps:
Anesthesia
The procedure is performed under general anesthesia, in a sleep-like state, to comfort you throughout the procedure.
Fat harvesting
Different methods of fat extraction have been put forward. The primary approaches include vacuum aspiration, syringe aspiration, and surgery.
The body contains many different fat storage locations, and physicians determine the most suitable place after a thorough patient inspection. The stomach is usually the chosen area for fat retrieval; the other options are commonly the saddlebags, as well as the inner sides of the thighs and knees.
Fat processing
The most frequently used techniques to obtain fat grafts are sedimentation, filtering, washing, and centrifugation. This fat processing is necessary due to the fact that the fat extracted by suctioning also has collagen fibers, blood, and waste present. All of these components can lead to inflammation at the recipient site and damage the fat graft. It is essential to remove the blood since it can speed up the decay of the transplanted fat. Additionally, the introduction of debris can give an incorrect impression of the volume of the correction since the debris will be eliminated after a few hours.
Fat injection
The skin is cut in a way that is the same width as the cannula, and the fat graft is placed in the appropriate anatomical region. Small-diameter cannulas lessen trauma to the area where the fat is being moved to, which in turn, minimizes the likelihood of any bleeding or hematoma formation. It is usually better to inject fat in multiple small amounts rather than all at once. Various authors choose different cannulas based on the region where the fat is being injected, with the size of the cannula being determined by the site.
Recovery
Recovery from fat transfer breast augmentation is typically less invasive and less uncomfortable than breast augmentation with breast implants.
However, the recovery process still involves some discomfort, swelling, and bruising, as well as restrictions on physical activity for several days to several weeks following the procedure. Most patients can return to work and other non-strenuous activities within a few days to a week after the procedure.
Fat transfer breast augmentation results last for a lifetime. Sometimes, it may take up to six months to see the actual outcomes. During this time, the fat cells settle into new places, where they remain forever. Because some cells die after the injection; therefore, providers inject more fat cells than needed during the transfer.