Partial Breast Defect
Instead of mastectomy, women who elected to have a lumpectomy (removal of a portion of breast tissue containing the breast mass) may be left with a partial breast defect and may also be candidates for reconstruction.
Fat Grafting
This a surgical process where fat is transferred from one body area (e.g. abdomen, thighs, flanks) to the breast in order to improve its contour and balance the chest appearance
Fat grafting typically involves liposuction of the abdomen, flank or thighs, and then injection of the fat to areas in the breast that are scarred or require volume. This may be in areas of scar from the mastectomy, from a lumpectomy, or even due to irregular contour after implant or tissue based reconstruction.
Not all the fat that in transferred will remain long term - an estimated 50% will remain, although the exact amount is difficult to tell.
Fat grafting often requires a few procedures depending on contour and the amount of fat graft “take.”
Most often, this is done in the main operating room under a general anesthetic. Sometimes, if only small volumes need to be corrected, this can be done using local anesthetic (freezing).
Interesting fact: If you gain weight, the fat cells that have been transferred from your abdomen to your chest will also increase in size!
