All women like to enhance their body shape and feel more confident, so they go with plastic surgery.
One of the most common cosmetic procedures now is breast augmentation. If you have born with naturally small breasts or your breasts get saggy over time for different reasons, breast augmentation is the solution.
Breast augmentation can be performed in two main ways: with breast implants and fat transfer.
But the question is which method is the right option for you, breast augmentation with fat transfer or breast implants? Keep reading to learn more about breast implants vs fat transfer, and the main differences between the two techniques.
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Autologous fat transfer or fat grafting is a new technique in breast enhancement surgery, which aims to reconstruct the breasts, correcting the defects, and enhancing the size and shape of the breasts.
The surgery involves two procedures: first, unwanted fat tissues is removed by liposuction from other areas of the body like thighs, belly, and buttocks, and second, after purifying the extracted fat, it is transferred and injected into the breasts to reshape them and give them the desired look and size.
Breast implants surgery is an invasive cosmetic surgery that aims to rebuild or increase the breast size. In this surgery, artificial breast implants (prostheses) made of saline or silicone are placed under breast tissue or chest muscles.
Breast augmentation with breast implants is very common and people usually mean breast implants surgery when they talk about breast augmentation or ‘boob job’.
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Fat transfer is usually carried out under local anesthesia, and it is performed in three main stages;
Fat removing: Using a thin tube and a suction device, small amounts of fat are sucked out via small incisions in the skin, from other parts of body such as thighs, buttocks, and abdomen. This is the same procedure we refer to as liposuction.
Fat processing (purification): Harvested fat needs processing because it contains blood, collagen fibers, and other fluids, which can cause infections and may be rejected by the breast tissues. The purification process includes washing and filtering the fat using a centrifuge.
Fat injection: Tiny holes are made in the breast skin. Then, using needle and syringe small amounts of fat are injected in the breast area through these holes.
The time required for fat grafting varies from case to case and it depends on the needs and preferences of the patient. Usually fat harvesting may take about an hour when the donor area is carefully sculpted. Processing also takes an hour in itself. The injection procedure also takes about 30 minutes to one hour. So in total, fat transfer might take about three hours.
Fat transfer is a minimally-invasive procedure and there is no need for stitches after the completion of the procedure, neither in the liposuction area nor in the breasts.
Breast implants surgery can be carried out under local or general anesthesia, but in most cases it is done under general anesthesia, in which you are asleep and feel no pain. For performing the procedure the following steps will be done;
Making incision: A single incision will be made in the breast. The incision place might be one these: crease under the breast, under the arm, or around the nipple.
Creating pocket: A pocket is created by separating the breast tissue from the muscles, and this pocket might be either in front of or behind the pectoral muscle of the chest wall.
Inserting implant: The implant will be inserted into the created pocket and fixed behind the nipple. Filling the implant is done before inserting it in case of silicone implants, whereas the saline implants are filled after being inserted into the pocket.
Closing incision: The incision will be closed be the surgeon in a typical way using stitches, skin adhesive and bandage.
Breast augmentation surgery will take from one to two hours.
It takes up to 6 months for the swelling to completely disappear and the fat cells to settle down so that the final results could be noticed. However, most of the swelling and bruising will subside in about 2 weeks, after that you can get back to work.
Following the instructions of your doctor is very important in the recovery period. Here are some tips and instructions to follow during your recovery period after breast augmentation with fat transfer.
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In general, breast implant surgery requires two days of complete rest and several days of reduced activities. Getting back to the daily routine needs about one to two weeks. Soreness and swelling can remain for 3 to 4 weeks. So, you need to follow post-op instructions and take care of yourself for around 4 weeks.
Here’s what you need to know about recovery after breast implants surgery:
In addition to enlarging and improving your breasts, fat transfer also enhances other areas of the body, the areas where the fat is taken from like flanks, thighs or abdomen. Also, the effects of the transferred fat cells include rejuvenating tissues, enhancing breast skin and improving scars.
Volume increase is limited in fat transfer (you can only enlarge your breast by one cup size).
Transferred fat cells last only for a few years, and they will be affected by weight loss and will be absorbed by the body.
The initial results of breast implants can be seen right after the surgery. However, it will take a few months to see the final results, because you should wait for the swelling to subside.
With breast implants you can get a larger breast size, from 1 to 4 cups. There are many type of implants and a variety of ways to place them, and the ideal size will be determined depending on these factors in addition to the surgeon’s opinion.
Breast implants will not last for life, but for most of women they last more than 10 years, up to 20 years. Some women never require additional implants for the rest of their life.
Breast augmentation with fat grafting involves minimal scarring. A discoloration halos may appear around the incisional site. Usually a skin protector or a skin lighter is used by the doctor to eliminate this side effects, and additional treatment options can be used for this purpose.
Breast implants surgery leaves a linear scar on the body. Surgeons employ different technique to make the scar as invisible as possible, for example by making the incision along the natural curve under the breasts (inframammary incision).
Scars of breast implants will be red to pink, and they require more than one year to heal completely, and healing rate depend on skin tone, genetics, age, etc.
Fat transfer is relatively new, but this does not mean it is unsafe. This technique is widely used for buttock augmentation as well. For breast augmentation, it is less common, and we still have unanswered questions about the reaction of the breast tissues to the transferred cells and whether there are risks associated with this technique.
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Implants have been used for a long time, and there are few restrictions or warnings about their safety. In other words, breast implants have been tried and tested and their complications have been identified, which means that using this technique is generally safe when its potential risks are taken into consideration.
Certainly transferring a large amount of fats will be more expensive, and the cost of breast fat transfer includes the cost of two operations: fat extraction and fat injection, and the cost of each one of these two procedure is calculated as cost per area.
In general, if you want to compare the prices of fat grafting vs breast implants, here is an example, a breast augmentation with fat transfer in Iran starts from $1500 while breast implants surgery starts from is $2500.
Fat grafting is newer than breast implants and is currently less popular than breast implants. Silicon-filled and saline-filled types of breast implants have been popular for a long time. Breast implants size about 350-400 cc “small to large C cup” is the most popular and preferred by patients.
Any woman with a good physical and mental health is a good candidate for breast implants. According to the FDA, breast implants candidates must be more than 18 years old, and the age of candidates for silicone implants must be at least 22.
A good candidate for breast fat transfer is a woman with small breasts who has good deposits of fat in different areas of their bodies. Also women whose breasts are depressed or asymmetrical are candidates for breast fat grafting if they have enough amount of excess fat for extraction.
It is up to the woman to get pregnant before or after getting breast implants or fat grafting. As the shape and the size of the breast may be affected by the pregnancy, it is better to wait until after childbirth and, especially if she is planning to get pregnant in the near future.
There is no problem with breastfeeding after breast augmentation or fat grafting, and neither the safety nor quality of the milk may be affected in the augmented breasts. But women are advised to go with breast augmentation after completing breastfeeding, because breastfeeding can affect the breast shape and women may need a second breast augmentation surgery.
It is vitally important to take into consideration the difference between breast augmentation and fat transfer and both pros and cons of fat grafting vs breast implants, so you can decide which type of surgery is the best for you.
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Breast implants increase the breast size and volume, while fat grafting gives you perkier breasts. So it is a great idea to go with the two procedures at the same time to get natural and larger breasts. But there are the limitations of implant’s size, and the appropriate size will be determined by the doctor after taking your measurements.
Before you go with breast augmentation you should have a good understanding of the difference between breast augmentation with implants and fat transfer.
Unlike the fat grafting, there is no need for additional surgery on other parts of the body in breast implants, so breast implants might be easier for the patient. In addition to this, removing the fat after injection is very difficult, while removing the implants can be done easier.
Fat transfer give more natural look and feeling, and it is also considered a great choice for breast rebuilding and correcting breast defects. But in case you want a large volume, it is not preferable and it is better to go with breast implants.
