Fat graphing

jojo69

I'm scheduled to having fat grafting surgery the end of June. What can I expect? How long was the actual surgery? How was recovery? I'm having surgery on a Friday & my PS said I should be able to go back to work on Monday. This seems crazy fast to me & I know sometimes surgeons underestimate recovery time. I'm just wondering if I should schedule a day or two off work just in case. Also, did anyone actually see changes in the donation site area? Most of my fat will be taken from my stomach. Will my stomach actually look flatter? A girl can hope, right? I'd appreciate any info those of you that have gone through it can pass along. Thanks!

wallan

Hey there:

I had fat grafting from my inner thighs, outer thighs and abdomen to rebuild tissue from a mastectomy 13 years ago. I had this surgery May 3. The surgery took about an hour and I was home the same day. It took me 3 weeks before I felt like myself and my surgeon originally told me 2-3 weeks recovery time meaning I could return to driving and lifting light weights and 6 weeks before I was fully able to lift and do vigorous exercise etc.

Of course, my fat grafting may be more extensive than yours, so maybe that is why your surgeon is less concerned with recovery time. Not really sure.

The donor site does not look any smaller unfortunately. I had bruising and it felt sore like I had a good workout at the gym for the first few weeks. I wore yoga pants with spandex for some compression to keep pain and swelling down. On my chest, I also had swelling and bruising, but very little pain. I guess I wasn't using those muscles. I still can't wear a bra with an elastic bottom or put any direct pressure on my the fat grafting site. This is not due to the pain, but to something to do with the healing of the fat grafting. The surgeon said 6 weeks after surgery I can start to do these things.

The surgery is actually an easier surgery than a mastectomy or other reconstructive surgeries.

Good luck with it. You may want to check out the surgery forums where there are other women going thru surgery at the same time as you. It is great support.

wallan

susanne101

Hi Wallan & jojo69 - I am very interested in yours posts -  Wallan did you have fat grafting only for reconstruction? I will be having a mastectomy and rather than major surgery for reconstruction I am looking into fat grafting as another option. It is something they do in America, not so much in Australia.  If you had fat transferring for total reconstruction, was it successful? did it work the first time or did you need a few fat transferring? Where did you have it done?  many thanks.

Olaf

Wallan, I am curious too if you only did fat transfer for reconstruction. And if so who was your plastic surgeon and how much retention.

wallan

Hi Olaf:

I had a mastectomy 13 years ago on the right side and had chemo and rads, antihormone therapy. The PS told me that my skin on the chest wall is thin and taut due to treatment, particularly radiation and time. If I wanted reconstruction, I would need the flap from the latimuss dorsi or from the abdomen OR I could have fat grafting to build up the tissue on the chest wall for a breast. The fat grafting is the option I chose.

In March 2017, I had new primary on left side, so I had mastectomy. I did not need chemo or radiation. The PS immediately placed a TE on the left side. I have been having it filled every 3 weeks since. She then decided that to match the right and left sides, she would use fat grafting to build up the thickness of the tissue on the right side and then place a TE on that side.

So far, I have had two fat grafting procedures on my right side. The chest wall is filling out nicely. I am not sure of fat retention at this point. The plan is for the next surgery to place the TE on the right side.

My PS is Dr. Amy Chesney in Ontario Canada.

Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss further.

wallan

Olaf

Wallan,

Keep me posted on your progression. I don't think i have enough fat to fill in and I haven't come across many PS who are willing to go that route. I know one woman who went to Costa Rica and had her implants removed and did fat grafting. She is only about a month out so not sure about retention. I believe she will go back. Another went to Dr Khouri. Her results look good but he did a reverse tummy tuck and then fat grafting with a step down procedure with implants. Another PS in PA has just helped a woman with just fat grafting after taking implants out. It would be interesting to follow these women to see how much fat is retained.

I have decided to go to the Restorative Breast Center in New Orleans, LA. I will have the SGAP procedure. Depending on the results, the 2nd phase would be fat grafting. Nervous but I am not comfortable with the implants.

Thanks for responding.

Olaf