Fat Transfer has many names: Micrografting, Fat Injections, Facial Fat Injections and even a BBL is a form of Fat Transfer, and they all essentially mean the same thing. The method of taking fat from one area of the body and placing it in another. It’s simple really.
Here’s everything you need to know about Fat Transfer, and how you can transfer fat into many areas of the body, including the breasts.
How does Fat Transfer work?
A Fat Transfer moves unwanted or excess fat from one area of the body to another. To harvest the fat, Dr Yannis – one of the best Plastic Surgeons in London – will numb the area with local anaesthetic before using a small Liposuction cannula and syringe to collect the fat. Popular areas to take fat away from are the stomach, the thighs, and also, around the knees (which is where there is often quite a lot of high-quality fat). However, the fat used during Fat Transfer can be harvested from anywhere where there is enough fat, and this is one of the benefits of Fat Transfer: that is has Liposuction effect on the area you choose to take the fat from.
Once the fat has been collected, it is then decanted into another syringe ready to be placed in a centrifuge. A centrifuge is a device that spins rapidly, and this spinning motion separates the fat from the plasma and oils found naturally in the body. Usually this will spin for around three minutes. When it is ready, there will be a visible segregation between these elements, where the plasma and oil will rise to the top, and the yellow fat, will be in the bottom of the syringe.
Dr Yannis will expel of the unwanted elements and just leave the fat in the syringe. This fat is then placed into separate syringes, ready to be injected into your desired area. Think of this as an ultra-pure, long-lasting, and completely natural Dermal Filler.
As lots of patients do not want to have Dermal Fillers anymore, (a phenomena Plastic Surgeons and other aesthetic professionals ae calling ‘filler fatigue’), Fat Injections offers a natural alternative, one that is completely compatible with the body, and can last many years.
The most popular type of Fat Transfer is Facial Fat Transfer which has the following benefits:
– Creates natural volume that does not leave the face feeling lumpy
– Smoothens out wrinkles, folds and dimples (especially effective in treating chin dimpling)
– When expertly placed in the temples, it has a total rejuvenating result
– Can treat hollowness, especially around the eyes
– Contains growth factors and other nutrients that will make the skin look younger and healthier
Now, we know some of the benefits, this brings us on to answer one of the most-asked questions, can you transfer fat to your breasts? And the answer is yes.
What is Breast Fat Transfer?
Breast Fat Transfer does exactly what the name suggests, it transports fat from one area of the body, to the breasts to help enhance their shape and size. So, when our patients ask us if transferring fat to your breasts is possible, it is, and involves the following steps:
1. Harvesting the fat
2. Processing the fat in the centrifuge
3. Injecting the fat into the desired area
Some of the reasons our patients want a Breast Fat Transfer is that:
– They want to make their breasts bigger but want more natural results compared to a Breast Augmentation.
– They want to use Fat Injections to help soften their cleavage and the space between the implant to the skin – especially if they wish to go for a larger implant size.
– They want a Breast Augmentation with an implant but want it to look, and feel, as natural as possible.
While a Breast Fat Transfer can be beneficial in enlarging the breasts, which is the main goal of this procedure, it produces the best results when combined with a Breast Lift or Breast Augmentation. The reason for this is that a lot of our patients who seek, and or are interested in, Breast Enlargement have naturally small breasts which can correlate to having a lower amount of body fat. This means the amount of fat we’ll be able to harvest may not give you the results you desire/expect.
This is one example of a Breast Fat Transfer before and after, used just with the patients’ natural fat.
When a Breast Augmentation and Breast Fat Injections are combined, the results can be much more striking and transformative.
Of course, your goals, aims and suitability will be discussed with you and your surgeon during your consultation. Here are a few things to know about the surgery itself:
How long does Breast Fat Transfer take? 1-2 hours
Will it be under general or local anaesthesia? General
How long is Breast Surgery recovery? 6 weeks before returning to normal activities
Will it be a day case or overnight case? Day case
How long should I have off work after Breast Surgery? One week or work from home when possible
Do I have to wear a compression garment? Yes, you should wear one for 6 weeks; this will be given to you after your surgery by our team.
What should I avoid doing after Breast Surgery? Heavy lifting and intense exercise
What should I apply on any incisions? Dramatic Healing Serum gently massaged into the incision areas (which will often be closed with steri-strips or a small dissolvable stich), morning and night is advised. This will additionally be given to you during your first post-op appointment which you be booked around 7-10 days after your surgery.
More questions on Breast Fat Transfer, answered
Can fat transfer to the breasts cause lumps?
Micrografting is Dr Yannis’ self-confessed ‘ultimate filler’ because it is highly compatible with the body, it does not cause a lumps or bumps or any other adverse effects of Dermal Filler.
So, no. Fat Transfer to the breasts does not cause lumps.
How does fat transfer Breast Augmentation work?
There can be two types of Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation, one is with an implant, and one is without an implant; so, depending on the result you wish to achieve these options are available.
A Fat Transfer and Breast Augmentation with an implant involves having a traditional Breast Augmentation with Fat Injections added at the end. One favoured Breast Augmentation method involves using the Keller Funnel. The Keller Funnel has some resemblance to an icing piping bag and means the implant can be placed within an incision half its size. This incision is usually made just beneath the breast crease. Another benefit of using a Keller Funnel is that it means the implant remains sterile, intact and ready for seamless placement – however, the biggest advantage of this method is that the incision required is very small and therefore any remanning scars will be very small too.
An Breast Augmentation can be performed in a variety of ways. The most common technique is with an inframammary incision, which means ‘under the breast’. However, other types can be with peri-areola incisions, so around the areola which is a virtually ‘scar-free] option.
Another option can be under the armpit, which means any residual scarring is not visible when the arms are elevated.
A traditional Breast Fat Transfer, will involve your surgeon harvesting the fat with a Liposuction cannula, centrifuging the fat and then injecting the fat into different layers of the breast.
Your surgeon may inject more fat than you initially expected, this is because a lot of the fat cells will die before being accepted into the body, where they will remain for many years.
Are fat transfer boob jobs safe?
When performed by an experienced surgeon, all risks are dramatically reduced. However, with all surgeries, there is a risk of haematoma and necrosis.
Can fat transfer migrate?
No. Once the fat has been injected into the area, they do not migrate or move. This is because the fat cells become a part of the body. So, essentially, the risk is not movement but whether the fat cells will take to the body and not be removed by it.
