Has anyone had micro fat grafting?

Insurance did not pay....wondering if we could have turned it in for out of pocket expenses.  Need to check that.  At the time we were willing to pay the $1600 to avoid other surgical procedures. I believe there is a fee of $200 to continue the banking after one year.  

The procedure on Thursday required only a mild sedation...like a colonscopy.  I was sitting up drinking tea 10 minutes out of the operating room.  And was dressed and heading to the bed and breakfast 20 minutes after that.  I was given a script for pain medications, but only took Tylenol.  I flew home to Texas on Saturday morning, made the drive from San Antonio to Center Point and picked up the 4 legged kids all on my own.  My sister was with me for the procedure and we had a sister weekend.  The recovery is much faster...today, Sunday, I am still slightly sore---feels like the soreness from an injection.   

So far for me, the Brava is not pulling the adhesions away from the chest wall.  But the skin is turning pinker and getting softer.  I think that is happening for a cominbation of reasons, the fat cells, the Brava and its process, and my body just healing from all the treatments. 

This is a learning curve and there are new techniqes being created by some very talented physicians.  They each will tweak the recipe just as we do in baking to make it their own.  I don't know what the success will be but feel there is a chance to avoid another major procedure.   I know that many of the major players in this procedure do meet and discuss processes and procedures.  There has been a fat grafting symposium in New Orleans for the last two years.  Dr. Khouri was a presenter. 

 Jana 

hrf - I have to go back and find the article, but I read somewhere that the reimbursement for surgeons isn't that great compared to "regular" reconstruction techniques.....I imagine the implant manufacturers aren't so pleased about this procedure either.  Just my 2 cents worth, but I've always said that if this was a cure for ED, it would be plastered all over the TV, magazines and internet!

pandazankar -

The Brava did pull out my stubborn scar (not quite sure if there were adhesions or not).  Dr. khouri had to work at a stubborn dent area, but eventually did get a nice shaped breast completed.  I think he uses a technique called Rigotti something...sorry to not have it right here.  He does a lot of needle pricks and it helps lift areas that might be dented in. I think it is so much better when women have the first fat grafting right after the MX is done....wish I had known about this then.

 Jana - fat banking sounds very appealing.  I think it would be easier for the surgeons too.  It all will get easier and easier as time goes on and techniques get perfected.  I think as more women find out about this, the demand will push MD's into doing it no matter where the money is for them.  Appreciate your realization that there aren't guarantees when we do things that are still being pioneered.  I feel very fortunate to have gotten good results.  I had never talked to anyone who had it done before...there was no message boards, no web site...It just intrigued me.  I was part of the original study.  Do you have any idea how many women have done the fat banking and if there are stats on retention yet?  Are you part of a study?  Thanks for keeping us posted on this interesting approach.

Hi,

Does anyone know what other breast repair surgery there is after a lumpectomy, besides fat grafting? My surgeon is out of town till the 17th, and he is going to recommend a plastic surgeon. In the meantime I am trying to find out what my options are. I am still feeling very blue about my right breast being smaller than my left. I am small to begin with. My breast looked fine after my first lumpectomy, but the surgery I had Aug 1 was a wide-excision lumpectomy and more tissue was taken. 

Chicago1018:

He was mentioned.  It is a learning curve just as many things in the world of cancer are.

Jana 

Five years ago it was a challenge to find surgeons who could do DIEP where it seems like the standard now. I wonder if the brava/fat grafting will catch on as quickly

katehudson- Not sure there are other options.  When I was originally given a choice of lumpectomy vs MX I didn't even know about fat grafting.  No options were given to me at all.  Since I was quite small a lumpectomy was going to take about 25% of my breast.  (As it turns out final path report showed MX was the right choice, anyway.)  I do know a neighbor of mine ended up doing augmentation with implants to correct her lumpectomy defect.  You might want to post your question again under a lumpectomy thread if there is one.

Hi,

I feel much better after talking to my surgeon's associate today. Shesaid in my case we can do a breast augmentation for both breasts and a lift. Wahoo I am a small b and I always wanted to be a little bit bigger. She said with fat grafting there is a risk for calcifications. Calcifications on a mammogram is how I found out that I had breast cancer, so fat grafting won't work for me.

I agree with mradf  There is a lot of research out there that says fat grafting is safe. It's worth checking it out further.

There are so many posts here - so maybe I missed it.  How do you go about finding a PS who is qualified-trained to perform fat grafting in your state?  Or is this procedure still in the beginning stages of catching on with patients and PSs?

katehudson- The downside to the implants is they don't last forever.  They need to be replaced anywhere from 10-20 years down the road.  You will have incisions and you coulod lose sensation in the nipples.  Like others have said I would do more research.  Usually the ones trying to talk patients out of fat grafting are the ones who don't do it in the first place.  The risk of calcification really depends on the technique the PS uses.  If they are injecting the fat in globs there is a higher risk of this happening.  When they inject it in drops, like Dr. Khouri does, the risk is quite small.  As far as overall risk of complications I would say it is higher with implants.  You can have ruptures, capsular contraction, etc.  Definitely do your homework and figure out the best option for you.

cp418- Some have found their surgeons just by googling fat grafting + your city.  There is also another thread on here where women have been posting the names and locations of their FG doctors.  You could check on there as well as the Brava site.  The title of the thread on here is called "Microfat grafting or BRAVA doctor recommendations".  Where are you located? 

Kate33:

 Well said.  I am working so hard to avoid implants for the very reasons you stated.  I found several articles about this subject.

http://www.psnextra.org/Articles/Future-of-Fat.html

http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/fat-chance/Content?oid=1714507

http://www.ktvq.com/news/fat-injection-for-breast-enlargement-may-hinder-mammogram1/

Bottom line, do your research, don't rush into a decision, find a surgeon you believe in and trust. This is your journey and you need to be in control.

 Jana 

Katehudson25 - Your radiation should be finished before you even consider any reconstruction method.  Depending on how much damage the radiation does it might affect what reconstruction can be done.  Implants after radiation can be problematic.  The beautiful thing about fat grafting is that it actually reverses the radiation damage.

Hi Kareenie,

Thank you for letting me know.

Hi Jana,

Thanks for letting me know. I have not chosen a plastic surgeon yet, but when I do I will have him consult with my radiology oncologist.