Breast augmentation by lipofilling is a surgical procedure to remove fat cells from the patient and inject them into the breast to increase volume, correct asymmetry or perfect the result of breast augmentation with prostheses. It can also be prescribed for women who have had breast cancer. It is important to know that a breast is essentially made up of a gland and fat. Breast lipofilling is a technique of cosmetic surgery of the breasts which allows to obtain a durable and natural result with almost invisible scars.
Very often breast lipofilling is associated with liposculpture, which allows to take advantage of a general anaesthesia to reshape the figure and thus recover the fat necessary for the operation.
This technique makes it possible to gain a bra cup. It is possible to perform several operations at intervals of at least 3 to 6 months to obtain a larger breast. In addition to this, the patient benefits from liposuction of areas of excess fat such as the thighs, stomach or buttocks…
Unlike breast implants, this method gives more natural results without scars.
- Result: Natural after 1 month – Final result between 6 months and 1 year.
- Anesthesia: General anesthesia
- Pain: Between 2 and 3/10
- Scars: Small (3-4 mm in the groin fold and the buttock fold for liposuction, in the submammary fold for breast lipofilling).
- Recovery: About 5 days.
- Resumption of sports activities: Progressive 2-3 weeks depending on the type of sport.
- Duration of the operation: 90 minutes
Advantages of this technique
Breast augmentation using the lipofilling technique has three advantages:
- The result is long-lasting and natural since it is obtained by the patient’s own cells.
- The scars of this operation are almost invisible (2 mm under the breast or on the side of the breast).
- It allows the correction of moderate breast ptosis (sagging breasts), often caused by hypotrophy. If the latter is significant, breast rejuvenation surgery using another technique may be recommended, either alone or in combination.
Lipofilling as part of breast reconstruction
Lipofilling is recommended for breast reconstruction following a total mastectomy. An operation like this reconstructs the volume of the breast and improves the quality of the tissue.
As a recurrence is always possible, the surgeon must always carry out a pre-operative clinical examination (examination of the cellular tissue, ultrasound of the chest wall, sometimes biopsy).
In the case of partial breast reconstruction after lumpectomy and given the risk of recurrence, reconstruction by breast lipofilling can only be carried out at least 3 years after clinical and radiological monitoring.
How does it work?
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The collection of fat cells
Your surgeon will start the procedure by determining the locations where the fat will be collected and the sites for reinjection.
Then a sample of fat tissue is taken through a micro-incision with a fine suction cannula or during a conventional liposuction. The fat cells are extracted from a discrete area of the body where there is a reserve or even an excess of fat cells (usually in the abdomen, hips, knees, inner thighs, buttocks).
The fat cells collected are then subjected to sterile centrifugation for several minutes in order to separate the cells that will be injected (intact fat cells) from those that should not be injected (fat cells destroyed by the collection, non-fat cells such as blood cells).
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Reinjection of fat cells into the breast
This is carried out using micro-cannulas allowing incisions of around 1-2 mm.
The duration of breast lipofilling can vary depending on the quantity of fat to be injected and the number of areas concerned. The duration of the procedure is generally between 30 minutes and two hours.
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Follow-up after breast lipofilling
The operation is normally carried out with a day hospitalization.
Post-operative pain is mild in most cases.
It is normal that an oedema appears in the 48 hours following the operation. It will disappear completely within 5 to 15 days after the operation.
Bruising may occur in the fat collection and reinjection areas but this will disappear within 5 to 21 days. The procedure is less extensive than a breast augmentation with implants. It is possible to resume normal activity 2 to 4 days after the procedure.
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How are the scars after lipofilling?
Compared to breast augmentation with implants, breast lipofilling will cause little risk of visible scars. Why is this? Because the cannula used to remove and transplant the fat cells is extremely fine.
The result is very natural since the reinjected fat corresponds to the normal tissues of the body and the breast.
However, smoking increases the risk of surgical complications in any operation. Quitting smoking 6 to 8 weeks before the operation eliminates this additional risk. If you smoke, don’t forget to tell your doctor, surgeon and anaesthetist.