Has anyone had micro fat grafting?

Pandazankar - YES, much, much better with the smaller implants!  Can't wait to hear what you learn at your consult.  This whole idea is so exciting and more and more surgeons are learning and applying this technique.  There was a large conference (45th Gordon Baker Symposium) down in Miami a few days ago that focused on fat grafting to the breast. 

I had " friended" Brava on Facebook before I was ever even diagnosed!!! It was a cool concept my sister had told me about. She has a friend that was affiliated with them. I so so so wish I had learned more about what it was prior to my double mx. Just the fact that we could have done nipple sparing infuriates me. My Oncologist and PS gave me no options. It was only after surgery that I remembered about BRAVA. Still makes me sick. I most sincerely think that the work Dr Khouri is doing, is changing the face of an industry. It's that big.

Kate33 - there is no comparing how soft they are now to what I had before.  Now they feel and look real, natural.  Before they felt.....well, like implants!  Looked like implants and felt like implants!  Thanks - yes, I am sooo excited about feeling coming back!

Geewhiz - No - I used it non-stop for 4 days prior to my first grafting to pull out that big indentation and give him more space to inject the fat. Placed the dome kind of in the middle and halfway up my right breast.  I joked with him that his master plan was creating a 3rd boob!  Gotta have humor!  It worked though and the area got soft and "squishy".  Never used it again after that.

geewhiz - I GOT CHILLS reading your post "This sounds silly, but I started crying. I am so thrilled to start feeling normal again.

I know exactly how you feel - I was laying outside the other day enjoying the sun and whenever I looked down at my chest I felt the same as you.  Before Dr. K redid everything, I would lay there, push my right implant towards the center and slowly, sadly, watch it slide back to the side.  Then I'd look at the boney, concaved space between my breasts and I felt like crying.  There is a world of difference between the tears then and my tears now.  Just like you, I can't explain just how happy I am - it's like you've been given such a gift.  It's such a huge feeling of gratitude.  I don't know how to explain it either, but I've shed those same tears!  I'm so happy for you, for us and I can't help but spread the word about this amazing surgeon even if I sound like a walking advertisement.  It's magic!  Was it Dr. Gino Rigotti that was with him?  

Kate33 - Yes, I felt guilty too and selfish and vain......my first PS was very nice, is also a very capable sugeon but I felt like he was "done" with me.  He did his best with what he knew and the nipples he created are a work of art.  (Dr. K and Judy both commented on how great they turned out)  However, I got the feeling that I was expecting too much - that I should be happy with what I have, grateful for being healthy and then of course I had anxiety about possibly making things worse.  A fellow BC sister (thanks Kim!) set me straight - she told me to expect the best and if my current PS can't or won't fix things to find someone who can. 

We shouldn't apologize or feel bad for wanting to have our breasts look and feel as good as possible.  I've heard numbers of up to 50% of reconstructed breasts have revisions - we are not alone here!  Hang in there - I know you can't have this procedure done now, but look at the bright side: more and more surgeons are getting trained to do this and with each additional woman getting this done, there is more information, more case studies, more refinement in the procedure itself.  Hopefully when your time comes, you will have someone in your area who is trained and experienced to do this.  Although Florida is a great place to visit! 

  Anytime!  Totally uncalled for and unprofessional IMHO for her to discount your legitimate concerns.  Shame on her - good for you to move on! 

I want to thank Leeinfl for the links.  

Currently I am scheduled for my first fat grafting March 28 in New Orleans.  Reading the article by Jim Leonardo was very interesting....my surgeon was quoted.  My radiated skin is the biggest obstacle that is being faced....the lack of its flexibility contributed to the failure of my DIEP.  I have been wearing the BRAVA since Sept.  I hate it.....but do see what my surgeon is hoping for....a space to inject the fat.  My biggest issue is the travel....my husband is coming from Aberdeen, Scotland and we will fly from Texas to New Orleans.  

Well girls, I'm finally getting to start Brava -- as soon as they let me order the darn thing (I've left two messages and the woman hasn't called me back yet).

The woman I did speak with said it's $900-something... I need to go back through all the old posts and see if that's right (I was thinking it was less if you get it through Dr. K.?).

My plastic surgeon did the February training with Dr. K. a couple of weeks ago and he's rarin' to go. He's waiting for the hospital to approve the request for equipment he'll need.

He told me that it will take 3-5 sessions... yikes, I didn't think it would take that long for a B cup! I'm only going to do two at the most for now, though, because I'm hoping I'll be pregnant within the next few months.

From my surgeon's email: "Basically you would need to wear the Brava for 3-4 weeks prior to a session of fat grafting to externally expand the skin.  Then you would wear the Brava another 3-4 weeks before the next fat grafting session. In total it should take 3-5 sessions."

Whatever, if I need to do a surgery before pregnancy then wait and do the rest after I'm a Mommy, so be it... my husband doesn't care! (He hasn't seen it, though, believe it or not -- not even while we're trying to make a baby!!!!)

Thanks, NotMyTime! Hmm, no, he didn't mention anything about the study... guess I need to email him about that. I guess you're able to start wearing the Brava but won't be able to have surgery unless/until the surgeon gets approval to be in the study?? Good to know... yikes, I hope your surgeon gets approval soon! (Who does the "approving" btw?)

I haven't even purchased the BRAVA's yet. I'm not sure if that was because of the ps or BRAVA, but they wanted to wait until he was official. They weren't expecting this long of a delay however, so I'm starting to think I need to push to at least get started on the expanders. The approval, I believe, comes from the IRB. Here's a link to the study.(Maybe? I inserted a link but I'm not seeing it?) Maybe it'll show up afterwards.Anyway, it's under clinicaltrials.gov, and the IRB is their official arm for approving studies. (Please correct me if I'm wrong here, cause that's highly plausible.) I'll put in a call to my doctor today and let you all know if I learn anything, but I'd be curious to know if anyone out there is having this done by an office other than Dr.Khouri who is not part of the study? (Not that I'd really want to be, I like being part of a study, I'm just frustrated with the wait.Maybe if there's a trick to getting that part sped up?)  Oh, and yes that $570 sounds right now that I see it, though I swear I was quoted around $1300 when they thought I was going for augmentation.  

The link I got was for the trial that is finished,that is how I found the doctor in Boston.I had emailed and asked about the trial as this link says it is still recruiting.They are not.So if there is a study,it must be a new one and I would love to hear details about it.One thing  about Dr.Khouri's office....when I asked specifically for anyone in the northeast,the only one they referred me to was Dr.Ahn in New York City.When I  replied and asked for any other doctors,as I wanted as many opinions as possible,my email was ignored.Now it was an email,so could have gotten lost somehow.Two women on here met with Dr.Ahn(one after seeing Dr.K because NYC was closer for her)Both were told they could not have the grafting and had to have DIEP.The one who saw Dr.K was told by him she COULD have fat grafting.I felt it would be a waste of my time to go for a consult with Dr.Ahn,though I have heard she is a wonderful person and surgeon.Maybe you will have better luck getting a doctor's name from them.I found Dr.DelVecchio in Boston on my own,(even though he did the clinical trial with Dr.K they did not tell me about him)also the doctor in Connecticut.I found the CT doctor by doing all kinds of searches that included "fat graft breast recon"etc etc.And in the search I put NY and surrounding statesThe doctor in CT does not use the Brava,she prefers tissue expanders.I see her next Monday and plan to get as much info as possible.Please let me know if you have ideas for questions..I have a ton but know you all will think of soemthing I haven't!!....I find it very annoying that information on the fat grafting is not more readily available and that we have to spend hours searching for doctors..

My doctor told me, over a year ago, that he was going to set up to do a clinical study at his office. He never did. And honestly I don't want him doing any more surgery on me. I'm going to go to the expert-Dr. Khouri. Some how, some way.

As far as finding a doctor who is familiar, interested and capable of performing this new technique, it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks Especially when they're content, financially, with their practice.

Crunchy- I don't recall if you had expanders put in after your mx, but if you did, or if you have implants in now, I don't think you have to wear the Brava before your first fat grafting surgery.

I think I waited a month...but I was dealing with a travel schedule. I know his calendar is very full right now with international travel for symposiums or something. It's worth it....I can't even begin to tell you how much!

I live in Florida so maybe that made scheduling an appointment easier.  I think it was 3-4 weeks for the initial consult.  After that, everything moved very quickly.  Like Geewhiz said, his calendar is beyond full with all the traveling and workshops he does, but yep!  It's worth the wait.  Just keep at it, email or call the office.  Good luck!