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Would you love to have larger breasts, but don’t feel comfortable with the idea of having breast implants? There is an excellent solution for women who would like to naturally gain a cup size: the procedure known as fat transfer.
Fat transfer to the breast, also referred to as minimally invasive breast enhancement or fat grafting, is becoming an increasingly popular form of breast augmentation: according to a recent article on RealSelf.com, plastic surgeons have seen a 37.3% rise in requests for breast fat transfer since 2015. As a board certified plastic surgeon with almost two decades of experience in the nuances of breast surgery, I am thrilled to see increasing interest in the procedure.
What is a natural boob job?
Fat transfer to the breast is often referred to as a “natural boob job” because it uses fat from your own body, rather than silicone or saline breast implants, to change your breast size.
Fat injections can improve breast shape, increase symmetry, and give you a modest size increase without implants. Other advantages include a 100% natural look and feel, no risk of implant-related complications such as capsular contracture, and no scars on the breasts.
Fat injections can improve breast shape, increase symmetry, and give you a modest size increase without implants.
The benefits extend to other parts of your body: the liposuction we use to harvest fat will simultaneously slim down “problem areas” such as a belly pouch or a muffin top, thereby enhancing the proportions of your upper and lower body.
I perform this natural breast augmentation process in two steps. First, I use liposuction to harvest unwanted fat from another area or areas of the body. I then purify that fat and transfer it to your breasts via injections, adding fullness where desired. (The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has a detailed animated video to help you visualize the fat transfer process.)
Will fat transfer to the breast work for me?
If you’re looking for a modest (one cup size or less) increase in volume and you have enough fat to take from the hips, belly, thighs, or other areas to achieve the desired result, you may be a good candidate for fat transfer to the breast. One way to tell if this procedure is right for you is to study before and after photos of patients who’ve had a fat transfer. Look for patients whose breasts have similar characteristics to yours in the “before” images and see if you like their results. If the results look too modest when compared with your goals, breast augmentation with implants may be a better choice for you.
The above photo shows an actual BEAUTY by BUFORD patient before and after fat transfer to the breasts.
What are the drawbacks of fat injections to the breast?
While the procedure is ideal in so many ways, fat transfer has a few drawbacks when compared with traditional breast augmentation:
- Future weight changes can affect your results. Because fat cells fluctuate with your body weight, when you lose weight, you may lose fat proportionally throughout your body. Thus fat cells transferred to your breasts will also shrink with weight loss. The same thing goes for weight gain—transferred fat cells will respond like any other fat cells in your body. We say that whatever fat is still present at three months post-op is likely there for the long term—as long as there’s no significant weight loss.
- Results are not as predictable. Fat is a delicate substance and some cells don’t survive the transfer process. Additionally, your body may absorb a percentage of the transferred fat over time. Because of these two factors, you’ll probably lose some of the volume transferred to your breasts, and so the exact amount of long-term volume may be somewhat unpredictable. (A secondary fat transfer can be used to compensate for this volume loss if needed.)
- Breasts cannot be significantly reshaped with fat transfer alone. Compared to breast implants, fat transfer adds a more modest fullness and, because fat cells lack structure, they can’t create the rounded breast shape we can achieve with implants. If you are looking for the shaping qualities of implants or want to go up more than one cup size, choose breast implants instead.
- You need enough available body fat. If you’re quite lean, implants may be a better breast augmentation choice for you.
- The procedure won’t lift the breasts. Fat transfer can add fullness and volume to the breasts, but, like traditional breast augmentation, it will not lift sagging breast tissue. Breast lift surgery is specifically designed to address sagging or stretched breast skin and can be coupled with augmentation via fat or implants.
Can I combine fat transfer with breast implant surgery?
Yes, you can definitely augment breast implant results with fat grafting. While this procedure is now trending, I’ve been optimizing breast implant results with fat transfer for years. I often use fat grafting to add a more natural-looking roundness to the upper pole of the breast (the quadrant above the nipple), or to increase the appearance of cleavage between the breasts. It’s also a great option for augmented women who wish they had chosen larger breast implants and want to boost their size without replacing their implants.
If you are looking for the shaping qualities of implants or want to go up more than one cup size, choose breast implants instead.
Looking for a natural breast augmentation doctor in Denver?
If you would like to hear about methods for naturally enhancing your unique shape, I’d love to help. Contact my Lone Tree office at 303-951-5829 or book a consultation through our website. I look forward to helping you perfect your look.