fat grafting - how many times???

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arissasmom
arissasmom Member Posts: 17
edited April 2016 in Breast Reconstruction

Hello ladies!! I was wondering if anyone had fat grafting that was not successful. I've had five rounds and I'm no better off than when I started. Is this typical? I really am not willing to go any further with this, but my surgeon says there are no other options for me, but I guess that's another thread....

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  • ual0307
    ual0307 Member Posts: 62
    edited February 2016

    hi!

    I'm not sure if you are trying to do an entire breast from fat or lipo filling. I'm trying to do an entire breast. I've had five procedures so far and I can say that my armpit and divots are great. I even have upper poles that match. (Unilateral). But the skin was so damaged during rads, that the skin isn't stretching at all to actually make a breast.

    I have been doing procedures quarterly. I'm waiting six months to see if healing will happen, but if not I'll likely abandon the process. I'll be heart broken but have decided I will not do a flap.


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  • macb04
    macb04 Member Posts: 1,433
    edited March 2016

    Hey, me too, tried to build a breast with BRAVA. Did it 5 times, lost most of the fat to reabsorption and 2 severe infections. Got some coverage, though and had to switch to implants. My skin was like boot leather, really hard and woody after I got radiation fibrosis . Wouldn't stretch well either till I did alot of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. Thank God for HBOT, my skin is nearly normal now. Had a 495cc Mentor high profile Anatomic silicone implant put in OVER my pectoral. The grafted fat that is there, along with a silk mesh, and is making mybreast look pretty good. Had TE under my pectoral muscle initially after uni mx. Was awful, just awful. Tight, tight, tight. A little tight now with the implant in what surgeons call prepectoral or subcutaneous implant reconstruction, but no where near as uncomfortable as before when they chopped up my pectoral muscle and stuffed that TE in there. I really wish I had suceeded with BRAVA alone, but I couldn't afford to go to Khouri in the Miami Breast Center. When you have had rads, then it is much harder to suceed that way.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25455288.

    Good luck with doin it BRAVA.

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  • ual0307
    ual0307 Member Posts: 62
    edited March 2016

    Uuugg. Wish one of us was making it work. It's expensive and time consuming

    While I am hopeful #6 will be the one. I probably shouldn't be. The ps said if he can get something done he could do direct to implant. While I don't like the idea...an option to be done would be awesome.

    Keeping my fingers crossed. Btw, I did a consult with Khouri, my husband liked someone else better so that's what we are doing. Because of our location I had to travel no matter who I went to.


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  • macb04
    macb04 Member Posts: 1,433
    edited March 2016

    Well, I will cross my fingers for you. Even if you don't get as much retention as you would like, it still counts towards how your final result can look. Would you ever do an implant? I initially said no, but wound up changing my mind because I wasn't getting enough of a result with Brava and Fat grafting. I am planning to hold out for a 3D printed breast implant made from my own tissue, if I am still not comfortable. This option is on the horizon, but not for a few more years.

    http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/07/rebuilding-the-breast/399479/

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  • ual0307
    ual0307 Member Posts: 62
    edited March 2016

    I started thinking no implant pretty adamantly. But I can feel myself wavering. Having always been an "almost b cup" I keep thinking if I can't get my own tissue then I'm in for a pair of c cups.

    But I don't think I'll know til I get there.

    I'm impressed with the article. ......

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  • Jackiegray
    Jackiegray Member Posts: 69
    edited March 2016

    anyone find that they have porn stars Foobs? (24 hour post op) they look huge. Is it safe to assume it's swelling? My skin is so tight over the implants and very bruised.

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  • CRoMN
    CRoMN Member Posts: 1
    edited March 2016

    It is swelling. Mine were enormous at first too, but settled down some after about a week or so and gradually lessened thereafter. The bruising for me lasted ~3 weeks at varying degrees. Fully bruised to a lovely shade of yellow.

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  • BeeRod123
    BeeRod123 Member Posts: 3
    edited April 2016

    It seems that breast reconstruction with fat grafting requires multiple procedures depending on how large you want to be. After reading many, many reviews, it seems clear that usually 2-4 are necessary. I attached one testimonial that seems helpful Fat Graft Testimonial

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