Autologous fat transfer to fill in dips

Tinanicu

I have a "dip " in my chest following my bilateral mastectomy. I asked my PS how he would fill it in. He said that after the exchange to implants is finished and settled, he would suck fat from some other area and inject it there. My question is if you have had this done, what was your experience? How much did they harvest? It they harvest from a thigh, would they do the other as well to make them appear equal? Does the harvested side look like liposculpted areas or do they not pay attention to cosmetics of the donor site?

trail2

Hi Tinanicu. I have had two revision surgeries where my PS did fat grafting. He did liposuction from two areas of my stomach the first time, and then the second time he liposuctioned what he call my flank area. I would describe it as my love handles above my hips right below my waist. I was hoping for a flat stomach, but unfortunately he said they only take what they need and not a cosmetic amount or the insurance wouldn't cover the procedure.

As far as harvesting it from your thighs, I am sure your PS would take equal amounts out of each side to make sure it was balanced looking. Be prepared to wear compression garments over the area that he harvests from for a few weeks.

I do think it helped with the "divots" that I had and the over all fullness that it added in the upper area of my implants. I hoped this helps. By the way, I had very little soreness, and minimal bruising . I will be having some more done this spring, but for now have taken a break from surgery. Good luck

Tinanicu

thanks for the info. I hope the thighs will not look worse than before if that is the case

sarahjane7374

I had fat grafting as part of my PBMX TE exchange surgery a couple weeks ago. My PS took belly fat and injected where it was needed to blend edges and smooth things out. He didn't take much - I don't have a ton to begin with - and while I was hoping to see a flatter tummy, I don't notice much difference, if any at all. It wasn't overly painful - a little sore at the lipo site, no pain at all on the injection sites.

rozem

I asked a very similar question on another thread

for those ladies that had it done how much was re-absorbed?

SpecialK

I had this done last December as I had significant divots above the upper edge of my implants. I have a naturally bony chest and fairly large implants. I had fat harvested from the hips, upper and lower abdominal areas. My PS only took enough to accomplish the graft for the reason mentioned above - the surgical report goes to your insurance company and if they suspect more fat was taken than needed they can deny the claim as a cosmetic procedure. The placement of the fat in the upper chest has made a great deal of difference in the aesthetics, looks far more natural, and like the fat elsewhere on my body, it has stayed in place with almost no noticeable reabsorption. My understanding is that up to half of the fat can be reabsorbed, but that has not been my experience. My PS indicated that the way things looked at six months post-surgery was how they should stay. He also indicated that it can take up to a year for the swelling in the donor area to go away, so it is difficult to know what those areas will look like for quite some time after surgery. I was advised to wear compression 24 hours a day for 8 weeks, with no exercise other than walking. If you do not compress the donor area, the tunnels made by the lipo cannula can fill with fluid and remain noticeable, and you can also develop a seroma, so it is important to compress even though it is not very comfortable.

Tinanicu

thanks for the info ladies!

sandra4611

I just asked my PS about this earlier today. He said they cannot take too much fat out so I shouldn't expect a reduction of belly fat. He said it would only be a couple hundred cc's. I have several divots in my chest from the BMX and a space big enough for a golf ball to fit under my arm due to a second surgery for necrosis. He says he will wait until after the exchange to see how my shape changes. Some of the chest divots might go away or be smaller after the exchange. Also he said some of the fat will be reabsorbed over time but not enough to really show.

rozem

SK and Sandra - great info I feel more confident in doing this, I was concerned about the re-absorption because I really don't want to do this multiple times

Littlebird3

I think I need this procedure to fill in the huge dip in the upper pole. But my current plastic surgeon expressed concerns about it - first about inserting live cells back into the breast area, and also that sometimes the fat can turn into hard lumps that mimic tumors. Has anyone who had it done experience the lumps forming? How about any research on the cancer risks?

christine47

I have had several round of fat injection with fabulous success . My plastic surgeon is conservative an did a bit at a time . I would guess I maintained at least 50%. No lumps or fat necrosis. Texture and color of overlying skin improved too!

sandra4611

Littlebird,

I think you'd better get a second opinion. Fat grafting is a common procedure in reconstruction. What does your doc think is used to make a breast mound in an autologous reconstruction? Fat from your belly or butt or back - so why would he object to one or two syringes full of fat being injected around an implant?

Littlebird3

Yes, I did actually get a second opinion and will be switching doctors for the next round. Thanks for reinforcing my thoughts that he may not be recommending it because he just doesn't do it!

eawagner58

I had autologous fat transfer to fill in the area at the top of my implant yesterday. The fat was taken from my stomach area, incision right above my belly button. I have very little if any bruising at the donor sight, but my breast area where the fat was injected is very red...not overly sore and not hot...so I'm hoping this is normal and not any type of infection. Has anyone else experienced this?

Moderators

Dear eawagner58, Welcome to the community. we are glad that you reached out here for some information. It appears as though this topic has not seen recent activity. Might we suggest that you either try to PM some of the posters here or go back to the Reconstruction Forum and start a new topic with your question. It might generate more responses. The Mods