New fat grafting technique improves results of breast augmentation

Posted: 13/04/2015

A breast augmentation technique using transplantation of a patient's own fat cells can produce better cosmetic outcomes, according to a study in the April 2015 issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

The simultaneous combination of fat grafting to the breast and implants has recently been proposed as a useful technique in breast augmentation surgery and a study has been undertaken to assess this further. The study to evaluate the aesthetic benefits of selective parasternal fat grafting at the time of the primary implant breast augmentation was undertaken retrospectively on 59 patients. 

Patients were divided into two groups: 38 'group 1' patients were treated only with breast implants (conventional surgery) whereas 21 'group 2' patients received breast implants and parasternal fat grafting. In the latter approach, a small amount of the patient's own fat was harvested from other areas of the body such as the thighs or abdomen. After processing, the fat cells were carefully placed along the inner borders of the breasts. The goal was to achieve a more natural shape and to soften the "medial transition zone" between the breastbone and the implant edges.

Both groups of women reported high satisfaction rates. However, the results showed a more natural cleavage in patients undergoing the fat grafting technique. Previous studies have shown that a narrower distance between breasts is considered more attractive. This combination technique appears to prevent the "separated breasts" deformity that can occur after breast augmentation, particularly in thinner women, by producing a smoother transition between the breasts.

Elise Bevan, a senior associate in the cosmetic surgery team at Penningtons Manches, said: “Over the last six months we have seen significant developments in the techniques used for breast surgery which are leading to safer procedures with fewer complications and better cosmetic results for patients. The outcome of this latest study suggests that parasternal fat grafting simultaneously performed with breast augmentation is a safe procedure and seems to provide a valuable cosmetic advantage by improving the medical transition zone of the breast implant with the presternal area. This helps to avoid an unnatural "separated breasts" look which often makes patients unhappy.”

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