Have you come across such an incomprehensible term like fat grafting and want to know what kind of procedure? There is nothing easier than getting this question answered. This is breast augmentation with fat. That is, breast lipofilling known to most women. It's about this procedure - its advantages and disadvantages which we will talk about today.
Grafting of fat under the microscope
The method is based on "killing two birds with one stone":
- Removal of fatty tissue from problem areas of the body.
- Their transplant in the area of the mammary glands.
So, you get a luscious bust and slim line of the hips, legs or a toned tummy. It is from these places that the much needed fat is extracted. Surgeons recommend using the liposuction method. Body shaping by removing or introducing its own accumulations of fat has been practiced for more than a century. Modern technologies make it as safe as possible for patients.
The main condition for a positive result of this procedure is to maintain viable adipose tissue during their transfer. Not only will "dead fat" not improve your shape by dissolving. But it can also cause connective tissue to grow at the graft site (fibrosis).
And this process significantly complicates the hardware methods of studying the state of the mammary glands and can cause an overdiagnosis of the growth of neoplasms in this area. That is, the question of correct liposuction and correct transplantation is by no means far-fetched. In order for the procedure to be successful, it is carried out under sterile conditions using special equipment.
In all phases of its implementation, the contact of the adipose tissue with oxygen is not allowed to avoid oxidation of the latter.
Advantages of the procedure
Lipofilling is an operation, albeit a mini one. It can be performed under local or general anesthesia. The former is preferred for the patient's cardiovascular system. Its main advantages are:
- minimal invasiveness / trauma (compared to endoprosthesis);
- high survival rate of "donor" tissues;
- minimal risk of allergy (compared to the introduction of fillers, also based on hyaluronic acid). The allergy can be to anesthetic drugs;
- lack of visually recognizable scars, even thin scars;
- the ability to "order" the shape of the breast, after a few months repeat the procedure if necessary to increase the bust by more than 1 size, reshape the breast if necessary;
- restore asymmetry in the congenital / acquired defect of the forms;
- using your own fat is allowed even when other methods are contraindicated;
- to correct the shape of the breast after implant removal, operations on the mammary gland. This opportunity is often used by elderly patients and young women when it is impossible to replace / install an endoprosthesis (for example, an allergy to the material);
- relatively short rehabilitation period;
- complete naturalness of the shapes of the mammary glands after manipulation and natural sensations on palpation;
- a further advantage of the procedure is the rejuvenation of the tissues at the injection site of the adipose material.
Adherents of the method ensure that fat grafting provides a long-term, almost life-long result. Opponents say a second procedure will be required in up to 2 years. The truth is that every organism is unique. With good tissue engraftment, the result can persist for 5-10 years. Provided you don't gain and lose weight or get pregnant.
After pregnancy, correction is likely to be needed. But there are also cases where in some patients the actually injected adipose tissues were absorbed in 1. 5-2 years. And the volumes returned to the previous unsatisfactory ones.
Before deciding on the procedure or abandoning it, evaluate the results of the bust augmentation with your own fat in the photo.
Limits of lipofilling
Breast augmentation with fat has a number of limitations and disadvantages:
- the ability to increase the volume by only 0. 5-1 size per procedure (pump in about 150-200 ml of fat);
- the risk of resorption of the injected fat after 0, 5-2 years;
- intervention difficulties for very thin women (lack of material);
- the presence of contraindications (absolute and relative);
- the possibility of the death of part of the fatty material during its introduction and the development of foci of fibrosis in this area, which reduces the reliability of hardware methods for breast examination;
- a little preparation is required before lipofilling (quitting smoking, drinking alcohol, taking drugs that affect blood clotting).
A further disadvantage of the procedure is its relatively high cost. If repeated courses of fat injection are required, it can be more expensive than the endoprosthesis.
Indications for the procedure
The introduction of subcutaneous fat from other parts of the body into the breast is shown:
- with a lack of tissue for implantation of the prosthesis (covering its edges with existing tissue);
- a woman's reluctance to have an endoprosthesis;
- the need for a small correction in case of deterioration of the condition of the tissues after pregnancy, breastfeeding, hormonal crisis, sharp weight loss.
Some women practice lipofilling as a test surgery. They look at what the breast will look like, how much it should be enlarged before deciding on the endoprosthesis.
When is the procedure not recommended?
Absolute contraindications include:
- with severe somatic disorders (heart disease);
- mental disorders;
- endocrine disorders (diabetes);
- with the growth of tumors;
- some systemic diseases;
- blood pathology.
To refrain from changing shape with your own fat for a while you should:
- during menstrual bleeding;
- with chronic pathologies during an exacerbation;
- in case of an infectious disease (in its acute period);
- during pregnancy and breastfeeding. You can return to the issue of breast augmentation 12 months after stopping breastfeeding.
After recovery, achieving a stable remission and cessation of menstruation, lipofilling for relatively healthy women becomes quite affordable. You shouldn't enlarge your breasts like this if you are addicted to cigarettes. Smoking has a very negative effect on the duration of the result of the procedure.
Stages of lipofilling
The very manipulation of changing the size of the bust with the help of your fat occurs in 3 stages:
- sampling of the material (liposuction);
- clean it of impurities (for example, blood);
- actually lipofilling or "pumping" of the breast with subcutaneous fat, removed with the help of vacuum suction from problem areas.
A few hours after the procedure, the patient can safely go home.
rehabilitation
The rehabilitation period includes:
- wearing special underwear, then a bra with wide straps to prevent mastoptosis (the tissues have to "get used" to the new weight and volume of the breast);
- limit physical activity;
- avoid exposure to temperature;
- refusal from manual impact on the chest area for 1-2 months after the procedure.
After lipofilling, discomfort in the breast area may be felt for the first time, the breast may swell slightly, and hematomas form in the puncture area. These phenomena are classified as normal. They pass by themselves rather quickly. The primary rehabilitation period ends in 2-4 weeks.
Until the puncture sites heal, they are treated with a local antiseptic as directed by a doctor. It will be possible to fully evaluate the result of lipofilling in six months.