Breast Fat Grafting and Transfer

A fat transfer breast augmentation is a procedure that uses your own body fat to subtly improve the shape and size of your breasts.

Dr. Kenneth Hughes, a Harvard-trained board-certified plastic surgeon, has expertly performed breast fat grafting in Los Angeles for over a decade. He offers fat grafting as a way to enhance the breasts without the need for implants. When performed by an experienced, highly skilled surgeon like Dr. Hughes, fat transfer breast augmentation patients regularly achieve results that exceed their expectations and enhance their quality of life.

Contact our office online or call (310) 275-4170 to learn more about how fat grafting can enhance your appearance.

Before and After Photos

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About Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation

If enough fat is transferred, fat grafting to the breasts can produce about a ¾ cup-size increase. The procedure can also balance the breasts to improve symmetry. During the procedure, Dr. Hughes will use liposuction to harvest fat from a donor site, often the abdomen, thighs, or flanks. After the fat is purified, Dr. Hughes will strategically place fat into your breasts, adjusting their size and shape to create beautiful, balanced, natural-looking results. ⁽¹⁾ A breast fat transfer can also improve upper pole fullness, which can have a lifting effect while enhancing cleavage.

Fat transfer breast augmentation is particularly effective during a breast implant revision and/or breast reconstruction, as it adds fullness, improves symmetry, and reduces the visible rippling known to occur with implant reconstruction alone.

Dr. Hughes: Voted Top Doctor

Dr. Hughes was voted among the best breast surgeons in Los Angeles. He offers a wide array of breast surgeries in addition to fat transfer breast augmentation, including:

To achieve the best possible results in fat transfer breast augmentation, the surgeon must be an expert in liposuction as well as breast augmentation. For the past several years, Dr. Hughes has performed 2-3 revision liposuction procedures per week, as well as countless primary liposuction procedures, giving him a deep understanding of how to achieve optimal results with this method. With his skill, he can carefully harvest the fat necessary for your breast augmentation, ensure the most viable fat for reinjection, while also artistically sculpting the targeted areas.

Benefits

Fat transfer breast augmentation offers numerous benefits. It can balance the breasts, improve breast symmetry, and help you achieve a noticeable volume increase.

Because the procedure harvests fat with liposuction, it offers a dual benefit of reducing fat and slimming one area while enhancing the size of the breasts. The use of the patient’s own fat also avoids implant-related complications like rupture, capsular contracture, and negative immune response. ⁽²⁾ It also helps create results that appear and feel entirely natural.

After achieving their desired breast appearance, many women feel more confident and empowered to wear whatever they want!

Candidates

Any patient seeking to improve the shape or size of their breasts without implants can benefit from a fat transfer breast augmentation. Patients should be in good overall health, have sufficient body fat to harvest safely, and have realistic expectations for their results. During your consultation, Dr. Hughes will determine if you can achieve your goals with a fat transfer. Generally, if a patient wants an increase of more than 1 cup size, Dr. Hughes will advise them to receive implants.

Consultation

Your breast enhancement journey will begin with a personal consultation. During this appointment, Dr. Hughes will explore your medical history, examine your breasts and fat distribution, listen to your aesthetic goals, and discuss the options available to you. We encourage patients to openly ask any questions they have and bring any photos of their desired breast look. With all the necessary information collected, Dr. Hughes will create a treatment plan that is tailored to your unique anatomy and goals.

Contact our office online or call (310) 275-4170 to schedule your consultation and begin planning your breast augmentation.

Preparation

Dr. Hughes will provide you with important preparation instructions to ensure a smooth and effective procedure. You may be asked to cease any medications or supplements with blood-thinning properties, as well as nicotine and alcohol, before and after treatment. You are advised to schedule time away from work and other responsibilities to focus on resting and recovering, and we ask that you arrange transportation home as well. The instructions you receive will be written specifically for your medical history and procedure plan, so please read through and follow them closely.

Treatment Process

Some patients will require more than one fat grafting session to achieve their desired results. ⁽²⁾ A ¾ cup size increase is average for one fat transfer procedure, and Dr. Hughes believes that each subsequent surgery results in smaller improvements. Dr. Hughes transfers more fat than other surgeons to achieve optimal results while avoiding multiple procedures, higher costs, and multiple recoveries.

Your fat transfer breast augmentation will begin with anesthesia administration. Most of these procedures can be performed with local anesthetics alone, but sedation or general anesthesia is available depending on the scale of your procedure and medical history. Dr. Hughes will make a small incision in the donor area, then perform liposuction to remove fat. ⁽³⁾ Depending on patient goals, Dr. Hughes can remove additional fat from other areas at this time. Once removed, this fat will be processed and then carefully injected into the breasts to increase their size and adjust their shape. ⁽³⁾

Recovery

The fat transfer breast augmentation recovery process is considered easier than implant-based augmentation, as there is no need to deal with larger breast incision healing or scar tissue formation around implants. During recovery, you will need to wear compression garments on the areas that received liposuction, which control post-surgical swelling and bruising, in addition to a supportive surgical bra. You will need to take time off from work to rest, usually anywhere from a few days to a week. You will be prescribed pain medication—which many opt not to take—as well as antibiotics and nausea medication.

The main complication of fat grafting to the breasts is fat necrosis, which occurs when injected fat dies and leaves a hardened piece of tissue, which may need to be removed. Most of the time, these areas will soften and improve without the need for intervention.

The fat grafts must develop a new blood supply to live. Without that blood supply, the fat grafts will die and be removed by the immune system and cell scavengers. The first few weeks largely determine how much fat will survive—typically, about 50% of the fat remains after this period. Thus, pressure on the breasts should be avoided, as should smoking, nicotine, and any other vasoconstrictors. Anything that jeopardizes the blood supply will jeopardize breast fat grafting results.

Results

An increase in breast volume will be apparent immediately, but the final results are usually not apparent until 6 weeks to 3 months post-procedure. As final results manifest, patients regularly report increases in confidence and newfound happiness with their body image. Dr. Hughes may recommend additional treatment sessions if you desire a larger breast size increase.

Cost of Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation in Beverly Hills

The cost of your fat transfer breast augmentation will depend on your treatment plan and aesthetic goals. After discussing your goals and establishing a treatment plan, Dr. Hughes will provide a price quote. Our practice offers financing options for treatments, and we encourage patients to explore our costs page for a rough cost estimate.

Contact our office online or call (310) 275-4170 to schedule a consultation and begin planning your breast enhancement today!

FAQ

References

1. Bogdan RG, Helgiu A, Cimpean AM, et al. Assessing Fat Grafting in Breast Surgery: A Narrative Review of Evaluation Techniques. Journal of clinical medicine. 2024;13(23):7209. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13237209
2. Pensato R, Al-Amer R, La Padula S. Autologous Fat Grafting in the Breast: Critical Points and Technique Improvements. Aesthetic plastic surgery. 2024;48(15):3018-3019. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-023-03542-5
3. Sun Y, Liu Q, Zhu J, et al. Optimal Strategies for Autologous Fat Grafting in Breast Augmentation and Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. Published online July 19, 2024. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/prs.0000000000011653