Fat grafting after exchange-how much does it hurt?

9lives70

I have my exchange coming up first week in June. Very much looking forward to getting rid of the tissue expanders!

My PS will be doing fat grafting as part of the procedure. For those of you that have done it how painful was the recovery for that part?

Also did you notice a difference in the area where the fat was taken ( did it look better--as if you had lipo for example) or was it barely noticeable?

Last but not least did it even work? I have heard for some women they just re absorb it and it doesn't work so well.

Thanks,

9lives

TizzyLish

Hi 9lives! I had my exchange surgery and fat grafting done in two separate procedures, several months apart. The exchange surgery was an absolute breeze, especially when compared to the mastectomy and chemo and having the tissue expanders in for almost a year! Your recovery from that aspect of the surgery should be super easy.

I had a little bit of fat grafting from my stomach, but they took most of it from my hips. I'm not gonna lie, it was not fun for a few days. I was sore and very bruised at the harvest sites. The area where they put the fat in was swollen, but not particularly painful. A bit tender.

My hips, though, were sore. Very sore. Sore enough that I wondered how women have liposuction just for vanity! I did see a small difference in the shape of my hips, and I was pleased about that, but it wasn't a significant change.

The grafted area above my reconstructed breast still looks great, though, so I'm happy with the result.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

Alli

---

I will be having fat grafting next Thursday. I had BMX and direct to implant in jan. I had radiation on the left side 10'yrs ago and now that side is very tight with thin skin. I was told by PS nurse that this would be my most painful procedure yet but only need a week off work.

I am concerned about what to expect regarding level of pain and results. I hope it's worth it and the fat will survive.

I was told that I would wear compression garment to the donor site - my abdomen for 3'weeks

I would like to see a noticeable difference in donor site but that doesn't sound too likely.

Would love to hear what to expect from your real experiences.

Meow13

I had a DIEP with very little pain but the second part was fat grafting from my legs. My surgeon took from outer thighs, he said inner thigh would be more painful. Well it was sore, I wore the compression garment it helps. Lots of bruising and soreness. It was more uncomfortable than the big DIEP surgery.

SpecialK

Here is a link to a long thread about fat grafting. I have posted on this thread, but the synopsis is that the amount of pain is proportionate to the amount of fat harvested. Plastic surgeons are limited to removing basically what they will graft so that insurance companies can't interpret this procedure as cosmetic and deny the claim. The donor site typically hurts more than the graft site, although both may experience bruising. Tumescent process usually helps with less bruising at the donor site, but it feels like a combo of bruised and sunburned on the skin surface and below it. This usually lasts about a week, diminishing daily, with some soreness extending beyond that but it feels like you did too many sit-ups, not so bad. I have had fat grafting five times, for a variety of reasons and in varying amounts, did very well with fat retention - but, be prepared for fat grafting to be a multi-step process with the potential to be ineffective in the long run. For some it is a one and done, for others it doesn't work at all. Most don't see an appreciable difference in the donor site, but it depends on how much fat is removed/grafted. I am a believer in wearing compression at the donor site - the lipo cannula makes tunnels in the flesh and these can fill with fluid and lead to firmness and a seroma. Compression is a pain, but actually made me more comfortable. If you have the abdomen as the donor site I recommend using a snap-crotch high waist panty to make using the bathroom easier

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topics/823278?page=33#post_4946304

TizzyLish

Chiming back in to agree with SpecialK -- a compression garment made me more comfortable as well.