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Fat Injections for Breast Augmentation

Some studies have been reported about breast augmentation using the patient's own fat. Although this sounds great, it is very controversial and I think that women should avoid it for the foreseeable future.

Both The American Society Of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and The American Society For Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) have issued statements declaring that they do not recommend fat injections for breast augmentation because of the lack of safety and efficacy information. The President of ASPS said: "Patients considering breast augmentation need to know that fat grafting for this indication is not recommended at this time, unless one is part of an ongoing clinical research study."

Fat injections are now quite refined and we routinely use fat injections in the upper face, cheeks, and lips. For the face, fat injections are completely accepted, safe and effective.

But the breast is a different matter. Obviously, much larger amounts of fat injection are needed for breast augmentation, and some of this fat may not survive. This failure of some of the injected fat to survive may lead to the formation of cysts, scarring, and calcification. These calcifications in particular may be a real problem because they could be confused in a mammogram with calcifications associated with breast cancer. This might complicate the accurate early detection of breast cancer.

So, I am not using fat injections into the breast except in very exceptional situations. Both saline breast implants and silicone breast implants have been shown to be safe and effective over the long term. I am one of the clinical investigators for silicone breast implants, and I think that breast implants will remain the standard of care for breast augmentation for quite a while.

George J. Beraka, M.D.