For years injecting fat into breasts was a controversial topic for plastic surgeons. However, injecting fat for reconstructive purpose has been given the thumbs up, but not for enhancement use. The safety and efficiency for augmentation is still considered unreliable and dubious. Doctors and researchers came to a consensus about this topic at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons conference in Chicago.
The process is called fat grafting – surgeons take fat from one area of the body and transfer it into the breasts to reconstruct and adequately shape the contour of the breast. Too much fat injected into the breasts (typically augmentation purposes) can be seriously harmful to the patient, over time fat can harden up and make it difficult to detect cancer in mammography scans.
Still regardless of its use fat grafts maintain a reasonably high risk of complications which is why physicians opt for its use only when necessary,
“For post-mastectomy reconstruction, I think it is a reasonable thing. There is minimal breast tissue left so it really doesn’t interfere with the surveillance that much. … And I agree that fat is an ideal filler. Its non-toxic, it feels natural, improves the breast contour and size and symmetry. However [fat injections] inability to produce consistent and reproducible results is a problem,”said Dr. Nora Hanson an Oncologist.
