Reformulating the breasts, injecting the fat of a woman works well for "touch-ups" after breast reconstruction, but has not yet proved effective for increasing breast, according to plastic surgeons scheduled to present a Update at the annual meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPs) in Chicago.
"For breast reconstruction, there are some good data to support the safety and effectiveness of fat injections, but for cosmetic use, it is a new ball game," says William P. Adams Jr., MD , a plastic surgeon of Dallas and an associate clinical teacher of plastic surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. It is among the doctors scheduled to discuss the technique on 31 October. 5 meeting.
But has not yet proven the effectiveness and safety of fat injections to breast enlargement, says Adams.
However, these studies may soon be soon. Two clinical trials are now looking for women to help study fat injections (also called fat grafts) to expand breast.
Norepinephrine And Fat Loss - Are Fat Injections Safe for Breasts?
and some experts seem to be heating up for the idea of fat reinforced breasts. At the meeting, a task force assigned by the ASPs to study fat injection plans to issue its conclusions. Although the task force interrupts recommendations on fat injections, it suggests that they "can be considered" for reconstruction and increase, says Karol A. Gutowski, MD, head of the Plastic Surgery Division in the Health System of the North University of Coast Chicago and the task force chair.
In 2007, the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons issued a joint statement of caution on fat injections for breast, observing that they can be effective in breast-looking appearance after reconstruction Or to soften the appearance of implants in place, but do not recommend fat injections to the increase, citing a lack of data and fear of preventing the detection of breast cancer.
Fat injections used to improve chest contour after reconstruction usually involve small and limited areas, says Adams. Injections after reconstruction is "much more accepted" by doctors, he says, and many have done this for years.
Fat given to improve breast appearance after lumpectomy and radiation can help damaged radiation tissue, says Sydney Coleman, MD, a New York plastic surgeon who performs this technique and will discuss this at the meeting . Injections, he says to WebMD, can promote the growth of a blood supply in the breast area that received radiation and helps reversal the effects of radiation damage.
Among the task force conclusions, achieved after its members revised 110 published studies and other data:
- Fat grafts can be considered for use in breast increase and reconstruction as well as other sites (such as hands and face), but techniques are not standardized and may vary from doctor to doctor.
- No specific recommendations on breast grafts can be made for lack of strong data.
- reported complications (such as fabric death) suggest that the technique has associated risks.
- No report on increasing the risk of malignancy associated with fat grafts could be found.
- Fat injections may interfere with breast physical examinations, but available data suggest that they may not interfere with mammograms.
- Clinical studies are needed to look at the safety and effectiveness of fat injections as well as such factors such as how long the fat will last.
ASPs should review the conclusions and decide whether to provide your 2007 statement, says Ghostowski.
Recruitment is ongoing for at least two clinical trials, both listed on the Federal Clinical Ensays website.
One, led by Scott Spear, MD, chief of plastic surgery at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC, is looking for 20 women, aged 20 and 50, to suffer liposuction and grafting of Fat to increase your breasts.
Other, led by Roger Khouri, MD, a Miami plastic surgeon, will study an increase with fat in combination with the use of the Brava system. The system includes used semi-rigid domes on breasts for several hours a day to induce breast tissue growth before injections are made.
adams and other experts say that in addition to the need to prove fat injections for safe and effective increase, there are other questions for women and doctors to consider. They include:
- Weather . Breast enlargement with implants can take about an hour at an hour and a half, but breast enhancement with fat can take five or six hours, says Adams. "Many patients need to be re-injected," he says.
- Expense. The average surgeon rate for implants is about $ 4,000 and for the liposuction of about $ 3,000, according to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. But breast enlargement with fat injections can cost about $ 20,000, Coleman says.
- results . With implants, "typical enlargement is two cup of cup," says Spear. "And 99% of the time the patient ends up with a predictable chest. The disadvantage is, they have an implant that may not feel completely natural and may have to be replaced in your life. Fat injections rarely enlarge more than one size of a Cup, often less than this, and the results are not predictable or guaranteed. But when it is successful, they have a breast that is your own fabric. "
