Breast augmentation with Lipotransfer

Local

24 hrs.

2 days

Breast augmentation is one of the techniques most requested by women to improve their aesthetic image. From ancient times, the breast has represented the main feature of femininity.

Besides its aesthetic attributes, the breast plays an important role from a sexual, psychological and maternal viewpoint. Therefore, the alteration in its shape or size is a cause of concern to women.

In a society dominated by personal image, attaining breasts in proportion to the rest of the body is a desirable objective to many patients.

When breasts are very small or have become hollow due to major weight loss or breast-feeding, the best option is to perform filler surgery that can be performed via several methods used by the IML Major Outpatient Surgery Unit. Conducted under local anaesthesia, with sedo-analgesia monitored by an anaesthetist, it is a 60-minute procedure.

• Important features of breast anatomy.
• Reasons for breast augmentation.
• Pure Lipotransfer for breast augmentation.
• Lipotransfer combined with breast augmentation implants.
• Lipotransfer for improved results in breast implants.

IML Optimised Lipotransfer for breast augmentation

Important features of breast anatomy

The female breast is composed of several layers of adipose tissue, glandular tissue and fibrous tissue. It is located in the pectoralis major and usually extends from the second rib to the sixth.

The most important features of breast anatomy are:

• Fat tissue makes its consistency smooth, its volume and firm appearance because over 90% is made up of this tissue. Therefore, breast augmentation with fat obtained from the patient is one of the techniques of choice.
• The mammary gland is usually situated just below the areola with ducts that connect it to the nipple.
• The area closest to the pectoral muscle contains the highest level of adipose tissue.
• Towards the armpit, there is a layer of fatty mammary tissue that covers the area from the 2^nd to the 6^th rib.
• The breast does not have any muscles, these are under each bosom and cover the ribs.

Reasons for breast augmentation

The loss of volume in the breast or drooping are the main indications of breast augmentation.

Breast augmentation can also correct minor breast drooping or ptosis.

The ideal shape and volume of the female breast is defined according to certain features:

• Size.
• Position.
• Symmetry.

And particular characteristics of the patient:

• Size.
• Configuration of the thoracic wall.
• Waistline.
• Height.
• Weight.

The main factors that cause ptosis or breast drooping are:

• Weight loss.
• Breast-feeding.
• Ageing.
• Genetic tendency.

These factors can cause breasts to sag and lack firmness. Other women have naturally small breasts.

IML offers three tailor-made methods of Lipotransfer for breast augmentation

At present, IML can improve the shape and volume without the need for silicone implants, with Optimised Lipotransfer.

With a simple procedure under local anaesthesia, our patients can achieve a more attractive figure and accomplish two objectives: increase their breast size and reduce fat accumulation in other areas, such as the tummy, hips or thighs.

IML offers three tailor-made methods of Lipotransfer for breast augmentation, according to each patient's needs:

1. Pure Lipotransfer for breast augmentation.
2. Lipotransfer + breast implant.
3. Lipotransfer to correct breast implants with unnatural results.

Pure Lipotransfer for breast augmentation

It is an alternative to breast implant surgery. Pure Lipotransfer for breast augmentation is performed under local anaesthesia as an outpatient procedure.

When a patient wishes breast enlargement of one or one and a half sizes, we can now carry out the augmentation using autologous fat, that is, fat harvested from the patient.

This technique is also used for breast augmentation combined with mild mammary lift.

Shape and firmness are achieved with highly natural results.

The fat is obtained from the areas where it tends to accumulate, such as the tummy, hips or thighs. So the body contour is redesigned, not only the breast, but the entire figure.

Lipotransfer in breast augmentation achieves highly natural results

Benefits of Pure Lipotransfer for breast augmentation

The benefits of breast augmentation with fat (Pure Lipotransfer) are:

• Possible greater breast enlargement, due to the careful working of the Lipotransfer results.
• Two results in one are attained, since body areas with excess fat are slimmed down as well as performing the breast augmentation.
• It requires no general anaesthesia nor hospitalisation.
• Results are permanent, given that fat survival has been greatly improved with the Optimised Lipotransfer technique.
• The results are remarkably natural, since 90% of the breast volume is due to fat and the volume is increased with the same type of tissue.

The Lipotransfer for breast augmentation procedure engages advanced technology to attain a pure and highly viable fat graft, rich in stem cells due to the areas the fat is harvested from. This allows for better breast enlargements than those attained to date.

Treatment is minimally invasive, it only requires local anaesthesia and a special cannula to insert the pearl-shaped fat tissue in the correct amount and location.

How Pure Lipotransfer for breast augmentation is performed

The technique is performed under local anaesthesia.

The donor area is first marked and lipoaspirated.

The harvested fat is then optimised by centrifugation and enriched with growth factors.

Key points of Pure Lipotransfer for breast augmentation

The breast is first infiltrated with local anaesthesia, followed by the fat graft. The breast shape and volume can be modified with the fat by inserting it in several different points

• Lower breast pole. Several layers of grafts are inserted in this area forming a type of barricade that fills the breast and raises it creating a similar effect to balconette bras.
• Medial pole (cleavage and breastbone). It is essential to ensure an increase in soft tissue in the area of the cleavage for a rounded appearance of the breast. Patients with a very bony chest will notice a softening of the angles of an area that characteristically has smooth curves on women.
• Lateral pole (towards the armpit). For patients with sufficient breast volume, the side pole, which is primarily fat, covers the rib area up to the vertical line that begins at the anterior axillary border. Good enhancement of the volume in this area for the breast augmentation is essential for it to be natural and improve projection.
• Superior pole. Above all in patients with a thin thorax and low implantation of the breast.
• Subglandular plane. This is the central region of the breast, which is filled out on several planes to provide overall size to the whole bosom.
• Retropectoral plane. In cases where greater volume increase is required, part of the lipotransfer fat tissue can be grafted into the muscle, just above the pectoralis major fascia. This results in an overall lift of the new breast shape ensemble.

Lipotransfer + breast implant

Pure Lipotransfer for breast augmentation usually increases one to one and a half sizes and results in a gentle breast lift effect. But breast enlargement with Autologous Lipotransfer comes with limitations, as it is considered that the breast can be increased by 60% from its prior size.

Therefore, for breast augmentations over one or one and a half sizes, it would be necessary to insert a small implant which is also placed under local anaesthesia.

Lipotransfer is combined with the breast implant to increase over one and a half size

The implant is placed in the retroglandular position, between the mammary gland and the muscle through an areolar incision of 2-3 cm.

In cases where the breast requires skin reduction or it has a small but fibrous structure, placement of an implant is also necessary.

Breast augmentation implants used at IML

The implants IML uses are of the highest quality, with a lifetime guarantee in the event of rupture. These are Natrelle Plus, anatomical implants shaped like drops that achieve a natural and proportioned breast. This type of implant has the following advantages:

• Anatomical design for a natural and proportioned breast.
• Stable gel with a predictable, long-lasting shape.
• Biocell texture reduces rotation and the number of capsular contractions.
• Soft Touch texture, indistinguishable to the touch from the breast.
• Intrashiel barrier layer minimises silicone gel diffusion.
• Three-dimensional structure with practically individual measurements for each type of breast. Individual choices for individual women.

How the Lipotransfer + breast implant technique is performed

• Implants are inserted under local anaesthesia and sedation as an outpatient procedure.
• Once the implant is in place, lipotransfer is conducted for a rounder, natural result with total camouflaging of the implant. The supplementary lipotransfer is performed on:
  • The cleavage and breastbone area (medial pole).
  • The armpit area (axillary pole).
• The advantage of combining implant placement with lipotransfer is that the implant size may be less, therefore the result is more natural and the additional volume increase is obtained with patient autologous fat. This is placed in the strategic points of conventional breast augmentation surgery.

Lipotransfer to correct breast implants with unnatural results

Breast implant surgery can be noticeable due to tell-tale signs in the end result that are not in line a natural breast. These signs are:

• Too much tension in the breasts and fixed orientation.
• Lack of motion in the breast with movement or support.
• Implant edge visibility in the cleavage where the margin is noticeable.
• Uncorrected volume in the superior external side pole.
• Absence of soft breast tissue covering the ribs towards the axillary pole.
• Rippling or evidence of folds from the implant on the external side of the breast, noticeable by prominent areas on the skin.

Some of these tell-tale signs can be refined with the Lipotransfer of a small amount of fat, strategically place to improve the result.

Corrective measures

The main Lipotransfer practices to correct these defects are:

• Filling the axillary pole of the breast with fat up to anterior axillary, covering the ribs from the 2^nd to the 6^th.
• Filling the high breastbone area and cleavage with fat in cases where the implant is obviously prominent, but also in cases where the skin is too thin and the bones and breastbone are highly visible (thin cleavage).
• Filling the axillary, which sometimes exists over the breast and cannot be corrected with a simple breast implant.
• Camouflaging rippling (visible implant folds) by placing a layer of fat tissue that fattens the layer of tissue covering the implant.

Request a free informative consultation now with our Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery Unit. One of our expert surgeons will answer all your queries about Lipotransfer for breast augmentation.