OTHER PROCEDURES
Fat Grafting
What is fat grafting?
Fat grafting is the transfer of fat from one part of the body to the other. Fat is harvested by liposuction from an area where there is excess fat before being strategically injected into a new location. As the procedure uses your own body fat, new blood vessels naturally form within the injected and integrated fat. Not all the fat cells will survive the fat transfer process.
When is fat grafting used ?
Fat grafting is a very useful technique that plastic and reconstructive surgeons use in a variety of situations. Most plastic surgeons would agree that in breast surgery it should be used as an adjunct (addition) to the main operative procedure rather than the primary (main operation). This is due to the known limitations of fat grafting.
What are the benefits of fat grafting?
The main benefit of fat grafting in isolation is that it is your own tissue and doesn’t have the risk profile that comes with implants or foreign material.
Can fat grafting be used for augmentation alone?
Yes, fat grafting can be used on its own for augmentation, however, as mentioned it has its limitations. Fat grafting will allow a patient to enhance breast volume by roughly one cup size in a single operation at best.
Are there any issues with fat grafting for breast augmentation?
The main issues with fat grafting are that it is unpredictable and resorption of the fat overtime can occur. Patients often will have greater than 50% resorption of fat graft at 6 months post-surgery. Often the surgeon will need to inject fat on multiple different occasions to compensate for this, which becomes costly. This occurs because the fat that is removed is devoid of its blood supply and needs to regain its blood supply from the new location it is placed.
Because of this fat grafting is mostly used as an adjunct (addition) to other breast surgery and rarely in isolation.
What is the difference between fat grafting and the ALL ME Augmentation (Cosmetic DIEP)?
The main difference comes down to vascularisation (blood supply). With fat grafting the adipocytes (fat cells) don’t have their own blood supply so need to get their blood supply from the donor bed (the breast tissue). This limits fat grafting in two main ways, It limits how much fat can be grafted to the breasts at one time but also means that a significant portion (up to 50%) resorbs at 6 months. The patient will only know what their final result is 6 months down the line.
The All Me Augmentation (Cosmetic DIEP) transfers an entire unit of fat and tissue from the lower abdomen which is vascularised (has its own blood supply). This pedicle (artery and vein) is the Deep Inferior Epigastric artery and vein. Because of this the surgeon can transport large volumes of tissue reliably without and volume loss over time and immediate long lasting results.