How to Choose Between Implants and Fat Transfer For Breast Augmentation

If you're interested in an effective method to enhance your breasts, you may be in the process of deciding between implants and a fat transfer. These are the two most popular options on the market, each with its benefits and cons to consider.

What Happens During a Fat Transfer to the Breast?

A fat transfer first involves harvesting excess fat with liposuction, then injecting some of the same fat back into the breasts to increase their volume and improve the shape and feel.

Fat transfers can address uneven breasts and are best for patients who desire modest results. A fat transfer is optimal for patients who want a modest to moderate increase in breast size, given that augmentation depends on the amount of fat you can harvest.

Fat Transfer Advantages

One area where implants will always fall short is that, by comparison, fat transfer breast enhancements provide a much more natural look and feel. 

Other advantages related to fat grafts include the following:

1. Fat transfers to the breasts produce less scarring.
2. The recovery time tends to be shorter.
3. The breast and nipple sensation is unaltered.
4. One or several body parts are slimmed down while the breasts are augmented.

Patients usually harvest fat from larger areas like the abdomen or thighs for this type of treatment.

Fat Transfer Disadvantages

While a fat transfer has plenty of benefits, it also has some disadvantages that you should be aware of.

1. The procedure requires more precision and detail than implants. Some of the transferred fat is always re-absorbed by the body, requiring a skillful surgeon to purposely overfill the site to give you the optimal contour.
2. If a fat transfer isn't properly performed, the calcification of fat cells could hinder a mammogram's clarity.
3. Fat transfers are best for patients who desire a subtle enhancement of their breast size. Those interested in a dramatic change must have enough harvestable fat in other areas to successfully complete their augmentation. 

Breast Implants: Are They Reliable?

The main downsides to breast implants are that they need to be eventually replaced and risk rupturing. Overall, the longer a patient has an implant, the more likely they need a replacement.

Another main concern with breast implants is the formation of capsular contracture and hard scar tissue around the implant. This condition stems from the body's natural response to protect the breast when it senses the presence of a foreign object.

Finally, breast implants may look less natural than enhancements using a patient's natural fat. However, relatively thin people who do not have substantial excess fat may be better suited for implants over a fat transfer. 

Fat Transfer vs. Breast Implants: Which to Choose?

Patients opting to go the natural route for their breast augmentation should consider an AirSculpt® Up A Cup™ Breast Enhancement. This technique uses AirSculpt® to harvest and transfer fat without requiring a scalpel, needle, stitches, or general anesthesia.

Our mechanical devices and versatile handpieces allow for a gentle, robotic plucking of fat cells that enhances accuracy during the removal and transfer steps while minimizing side effects. On average, patients require just 48 hours of downtime and experience much less bruising than manual traditional-liposuction-based approaches.

Furthermore, the automated nature of AirSculpt® allows surgeons to transfer precise quantities of fat. This added benefit means we can seamlessly restore symmetry to uneven breasts, overfull the breasts with exact amounts, or provide other customized results wherever desired. The one caveat with AirSculpt®, as with all fat transfers, is that patients must have enough harvestable fat when accounting for reabsorption. 

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