Lipofilling

Lipo-filling or fat grafting is amazing, the icing on the cake for mastectomies!!! I had the procedure performed during my NSM exchange surgery with awesome "wow" results to correct a deformity/divot from a prior nipple/areola biopsy. Fat grafting was also applied to both breasts for augmentation. As a result, nobody would ever know i had any surgeries. So yes, this can be a win-win to create symmetry for u too. See the thread here devoted specifically for fat grafting for lots of helpful advice.  Best wishes!!!

http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topic/747737?page=34#idx_996

Thanks Kate33--for finally giving me hope for my recontruction future.

As stated before, I have lived with pain, discomfort from my implant for 14 years.

I am uncomfortable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  I have refrained from telling any of my friends or family.  Until I found this forum--even my PS--spoke to me, as though is was all psychological.

It is not-- That tightness under the muscle--is a continuous irritant. The Tram, Diep flaps--I felt were just too much surgery for me to go through.  Also--with that much of a recovery period--I could jeopardize my job

Now I have hope--and another member of our Forum--has informed me that a PS in New York, both does the fatgrafting proceedure--and is a talented PS. Thanks  so much.  Eileen

Eileen- I find it so unbelievable that a doctor would know that their patient has been suffering for so long and do nothing about it.  I have heard from more and more women lately that not only aren't happy with how their results look they are in actual pain as a result of it.  I understand that something needs to cover the implant but I'm thinking they need to realize the pectoral muscles aren't what they should be using.  I truly believe for the majority of us that is where the pain is coming from.  It's being stretched in a way that is unnatural.  And it continues to want to gravitate back into its original position.  Unless someone has the time and money to go to PT for the rest of their life some will have ongoing discomfort.  I really believe fat grafting is the way of the future.  They can cover the implant with it or not use any implant at all and create an entire breast with your own fat.  I really hope you get some relief from the PS in NY.  No one deserves to be suffering as long as you have.  (((hugs)))

chinablue- During the fat grafting they will put you under general anesthesia.  (Believe me, you want this!)  Then the PS took fat from my stomach, hips and thighs.  He basically left it up to me to decide where I wanted it removed from.  I told him my stomach as that's the hardest place for me to lose.  He said there wasn't enough there (yeah, right!) and so I left him up to him to choose the other spots.  They remove the fat the same way they do in liposuction.  The difference with my PS is he places the fat in the breast area drop by drop.  Most graft a whole bunch at a time.  With the way mine did it you end up retaining more of the fat afterwards.  (Some will end up getting reabsorbed into your body.)  The procedure can be kind of painful afterwards (lots of bruising) but the recovery isn't too bad and I found the bruises healed pretty quickly.  I do have areas of numbness where the fat was taken but that is supposed to resolve over time. 

Had fat grafting May 19th, may need more as lots of rippling.  I have had no pain from the grafting of my stomach.  I would recommend it.  Kate33 how are you doing, I am glad you got to go to Dr. Khouri.  If I had known about him before my process started as I would have loved to have recouperated in Miami, the heat would have been healing.  Kate33 for your hips and thigh recovery are you wearing spanx or anything?  I wanted my thighs done, PS I think held off as knew might need more later.  How was it having your hips done-thought about this.  Do you have much pain?  Can you exercise, how long do you have to wait from this procedure?  I am in Spanx for a total of 6 to 8 weeks from just stomach.

How did the area the fat was taken from look? Was it smooth or lumpy? I am not sure about the fat as I am overweight now (220) and need to lose considerable weight (80lbs). Last May I had a bilateral mastectomy (1 prophylactic), a failed DIEP flap procedure (16 hours on the table) and then implants 36 hrs later. Now that I have healed up and have had my silicone implants I also have the hollows above my implants and a crease and divot on the cancer side foob. I was told 2 weeks recovery at home and am also concerned about the pain and how the donor site will look (lumpy) as well as possibly having to repeat due to re-absorption