How does transferred fat behave in the breast during pregnancy or breastfeeding?
Fat transfer breast augmentation is an excellent option for women who want to enhance their breast size and shape naturally, but what happens to the transferred fat before, during, and after pregnancy or breastfeeding? Since fat transfer uses your own body fat, it behaves similarly to your natural breast tissue. This means it can change in response to hormonal fluctuations, weight shifts, and lactation.
Here, Bellevue cosmetic surgeon Dr. Alex Sobel shares more details on what you can expect and how to maintain your results.
Changes in transferred fat during pregnancy
As the breasts begin to enlarge during pregnancy, the transferred fat cells will increase in volume in proportion to any natural weight gain. One of the many advantages of fat transfer procedures is that the fat naturally integrates into the areas it is placed. Patients can expect that the changes experienced in the breasts’ original fat stores will have the same impact on the transferred fat.
Will the fat remain after pregnancy?
Yes, unless physically removed with liposuction, the transferred fat remains in the breast. That said, fat cells within the breast may shrink or expand with weight fluctuations post-pregnancy and beyond.
“I have consistently seen Dr. Sobel for the last 5 years. I’ve seen him for breast augmentation surgery (after having/breastfeeding 3 children) as well as injections/filler. I was referred to Dr. Sobel from a trusted friend who also had breast augmentation surgery with him and I’ve gone onto refer several others to him! Very grateful for Dr. Sobel and his team and wouldn’t go anywhere else! Highly recommend!”
Changes in transferred fat during breastfeeding
Breastfeeding influences the glandular tissue in the breast, which temporarily expands due to milk production. While the transferred fat remains separate from milk-producing tissue, the overall breast shape and volume may fluctuate due to engorgement and subsequent shrinkage after you stop breastfeeding.
Keep in mind that the transferred fat will not directly affect milk production or your ability to breastfeed; however, the specifics of your procedure (incision placements and surgical techniques) can influence both.
Video Transcript »
“Fat transfer to the breast is an incredibly versatile procedure and it’s becoming increasingly so. It has always had an allure as a natural alternative to breast implants, but especially with the current understanding of breast implant illness, it provides women with more of a choice from the outset about what type of enhancement they might choose for their breasts. For those who have decided they no longer want their breast implants, it offers an opportunity to restore some of the volume they had gained from their implants.
What’s particularly exciting about fat transfer to the breast is what we’ve learned from fat grafting to the buttock and even fat grafting to the face. Those three fat grafting procedures developed along different trajectories. Fat grafting to the face was largely an aging face type procedure when fillers weren’t widely available and didn’t do everything we wanted them to. With buttock fat grafting, we needed very large volumes.
The story with fat grafting to the breast is largely a radiographic one. Breast cancer is unfortunately common, and women have mammograms. Until radiologists became very comfortable reading mammograms that involved fat grafts, the procedure presented some diagnostic problems.
Along the way, we realized from these three separate trajectories how much each procedure could learn from the others. The great victory that fat grafting to the breast gained from fat grafting to the buttock was the use of larger injection cannulas. While larger cannulas can sound alarming, this is still a minimally invasive procedure using small cannulas. The larger cannulas can deliver much better parcels of fat with stroma—basically the connective tissue and supply tissue that helps the fat and transferred stem cells do very well. This approach, which works so well in a buttock grafting paradigm, when applied to the breast, makes the outcomes so much more impressive.”
Fat transfer stability after pregnancy and breastfeeding
The long-term stability of fat transfer results after pregnancy and breastfeeding is generally positive. Women who maintain a stable weight and do not experience excessive post-pregnancy or post-breastfeeding breast deflation typically retain the majority of their fat grafting results.
Can a second fat transfer restore volume loss?
Yes, a secondary fat transfer procedure can help restore lost fullness. Since transferred fat integrates with existing breast tissue, additional grafting can enhance shape and volume and correct mild asymmetry without the need for implants if you experience noticeable changes you want to address. Patients who desire a more significant lift may also benefit from combining fat transfer with a breast lift procedure.
When is the best time to get a fat transfer after pregnancy or breastfeeding?
It’s best to wait at least six months after giving birth or weaning to undergo fat grafting to the breasts. This time frame allows your body and breast tissue to stabilize after any hormonal and weight fluctuations have settled and provides a more accurate foundation for fat grafting so your results are predictable and align with your goals.
View fat transfer breast augmentation before and after photos »
Dr. Sobel’s expertise in fat transfer breast augmentation
Ideal results with fat transfer to the breasts largely depend on the surgical technique and expertise at each stage of the procedure—from assessing donor areas for fat harvesting, preparing the fat for injection, and placement techniques. With years of experience performing fat transfer breast augmentation, Dr. Sobel is at the forefront of using innovative fat grafting techniques to promote optimal fat survival and achieve long-lasting, natural breast enhancement.
Here are just some of the ways Dr. Sobel tailors fat transfer breast augmentation:
- Precise fat injection techniques: Dr. Sobel injects fat at different depths throughout the breast for even distribution and structural support and layers the fat in small amounts allowing it to integrate seamlessly with the existing breast tissue. These techniques maximize long-term retention and volume stability.
- Gradual overfilling for optimal volume: Since some fat loss is expected, Dr. Sobel strategically overfills the breasts during the procedure to account for initial fat resorption so that the final results meet your expectations.
- Staged fat grafting for best outcomes: For patients desiring significant volume enhancement (a 1-cup size increase is typical with fat transfer to the breast), Dr. Sobel recommends multiple fat grafting sessions spaced over time so the body can better adapt and retain the most transferred fat.
Most patients can undergo fat transfer to the breast comfortably and pain-free using only local anesthesia and IV sedation. This avoids the potential risks and longer recovery times associated with general anesthesia.
Consult with a fat grafting expert
Dr. Alex Sobel specializes in advanced fat grafting techniques and personalizes each breast augmentation with fat transfer to complement the natural beauty of your breast appearance and optimize your results. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Sobel today by calling our Bellevue office at (425) 453-9060 or request an appointment online.