fat transfer

susanne101

Hi,  has anyone had fat transfer for reconstruction after a mastectomy.  I will be having a mastectomy and rather than having major surgery (or an implant) I would like to know my options for using fat transfer for a complete reconstruction. I believe this will work for me as I have a slight build. I have seen a surgeon (one for mastectomy & one for reconstruction) but they do not believe fat transfer will be successful. It seems to be successful in America.  thanks. 

Moderators

Hi Susanne,

First, we've moved your post here to the Reconstruction forum in the hopes of getting you some responses.

Also, you may want to check out the main Breastcancer.org site's pages on Fat Grafting for some good information.

We hope this helps!

--The Mods

MinusTwo

suzanne - from what I've read, sometimes fat grafting takes & sometime is doesn't. Sometimes it has to be re-done more than once. Also I have never heard of constructing a complete 'mound' with fat grafting. It's usually used to fill in around the implants. Someone else will no doubt have more knowledge.

Lula73

there's a dr in Miami that does this in conjunction with a device called brava. Some women can't handle wearing the device though. And some women's bodies just resorb the fat graft. With that being said it's a promising technology. Their group is called Miami breast center.

The other option using your own tissue/fat grafting is flap reconstruction which basically gives you a tummy tuck (DIEP flap) or butt lift (SGAP) and uses that fatty tissue to create your new breasts. They use fat grafts to help contour and fill in after the initial procedure is done. I did the DIEP flap and am very happy with the results so far. The center for breast restoration surgery in New Orleans is the #1 place to go for one of these types of reconstruction options. Women come from all over the world to have this group do their reconstruction

Hope this helps!