- Breast Fat Transfer performed by specialist breast surgeons
- Increase volume and shape in the breast area using your own body fat
- 0% Finance Available
What’s on this page
- About this Treatment
- What to Expect
- Breast Fat Transfer FAQs
- Our Clinics
- Things to Consider
- Why the Private Clinic
- Meet the Surgeons
Medically reviewed by Lorcan Sheppard BSc MBBS FRCA, Chief Medical Officer and the Medical Advisory Committee for The Private Clinic of Harley Street, London.
Last Reviewed July 10th 2024
Related Cosmetic Surgery
Breast Fat Transfer
Breast size and fullness can have a huge effect on body confidence. Factors such as weight loss, pregnancy/breastfeeding, or ageing can cause breasts to look emptier or lose their shape, while many others are born with naturally smaller breasts which can leave some feeling insecure.
Fat transfer to the Breasts, also known as lipomodelling, lipofilling or a natural breast enhancement is a minimally-invasive procedure that offers a subtle enhancement to the breasts. It is a popular choice for women who are looking to add shape and volume to their chest, whilst removing stubborn pockets of fat elsewhere on the body.
Whilst breast implants are the most common way to increase the size of breasts, not everybody wants serious surgery or breast implants. Fat transfer to the breasts can provide a subtle enhancement using their own tissue.
Breast Enlargement with Fat Transfer involves removing pockets of fat from other areas of your body (such as the legs or abdomen) and transferring the fat into the breast area to increase volume and shape in a subtle, natural-looking way. Stubborn areas of fat around the body can be difficult to rid of through exercise and diet alone and, for some, a form of body contouring treatment combined with fat transfer can be an effective way to achieve their end goal.
Am I Suitable for Breast Fat Transfer?
Fat Transfer breast augmentation is suitable for those wanting to shape their figure while achieving subtle enhancement to the breasts. Fat Transfer is not recommended if you want a significant increase in breast size, don’t have enough fat to transfer, require an uplift, are considering having children within the next year or are solely after breast augmentation, without liposuction.
You will need to have enough fat to transfer for treatment, meaning it is not always suitable for those with low body mass. We advise all patients to be cautious with their expectations. Breast Fat Transfer will add shape and definition but will not provide a substantial increase in size.
For patients looking for a slightly bigger size increase, a combined procedure of breast implants and fat transfer known as a Hybrid Breast Augmentation could be an ideal option.
Breast Fat Transfer at a glance
Procedure Time
1 – 3 hours
Anaesthetic Type
Local or General Anaesthetic
Hospital Stay
Day Case
Support Garment
Surgical Bra – 6 weeks
Washing
1 week
Sleeping
Elevated on back 2 weeks
Driving
1 week
Up & Mobile
1 day
Sexual Activity
4 – 6 weeks
Back to Work
1 week
Excercise
3 – 6 weeks
Travel
6 weeks
Full recovery Time
6 weeks
Final Results
6 – 12 months
What to Expect
The Private Clinic has been treating patients for over 40 years with thousands of women placing their trust in us each year. We pride ourselves on being able to offer a personalised service. We have a team of friendly nurses and expert breast surgeons who understand the importance of this decision and will support you throughout your journey with us.
Breast Fat Transfer Consultation
Your first step on your breast fat transfer journey is to meet with one of our expert fat transfer surgeons who specialise in breast fat transfer procedures.
At your consultation, they will:
- Review your medical history and family history.
- Explain what is involved in a breast fat transfer procedure.
- Examine and measure your breasts.
- Assess the areas you would like to take fat from.
- Discuss your expectations from surgery.
- Detail the risks and complications of breast fat transfer surgery.
- Go through the aftercare and recovery process.
You will then be allocated a dedicated patient coordinator who will be your point of contact should you wish to go ahead with the procedure.
During your journey, you may decide to have a number of consultations with your plastic surgeon and their nursing team before deciding to go ahead with surgery.
Pre-Operative Appointment
In the interests of patient safety, all our patients are assessed against our patient selection criteria. Following your breast fat transfer consultation your medical history will be reviewed and the pre-operative nurse will advise on pre-operative tests which are going to be most appropriate for you. Most breast fat transfer pre-operative assessments include a blood test, MRSA swabs, urine test and a blood pressure test.
They will also advise you of any precautions you need to take in the days or weeks leading up to your breast fat transfer procedure and advise on any medication that you should stop taking ahead of your procedure.
The Fat Transfer Procedure
Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation is performed as a day case procedure in our London Hospital. The procedure is usually performed under general anaesthetic and takes around 2-3 hours to perform.
On the day of your procedure, you will arrive at the hospital where our expert medical team will welcome you and start getting you prepped for surgery with a series of pre-operative tests.
Your surgeon will visit you before your procedure is due to take place to let you know what to expect and answer any questions that you may have.
Once ready, you will be taken to the theatre where our anaesthetist will administer your general anaesthetic.
Once ready to begin, your surgeon will
- Firstly, liposuction is performed on the areas being treated to extract and harvest the fat to be used in the breast fat transfer procedure.
- The fat cells extracted will be run through a centrifuge device to remove any impurities.
- Special syringes are used to inject the purified fat cells into the tissue layers inside your breasts.
Once the procedure is complete, you will be taken back to your private room to recover. The medical team will perform medical checks on you following your procedure and once your surgeon is satisfied that you are recovering well, you will be discharged to leave with your personalised aftercare plan.
Breast Fat Transfer Aftercare
Downtime following Breast Fast Transfer is minimal. Most patients are back to work within a week.
Bruising and swelling are likely to be present for at least 1-3 weeks. We recommend that you wait at least 3, but ideally 6 weeks before exercising or taking part in any rigorous physical activity.
You may be recommended to undertake a course of MLD Massage to aid your recovery, which your surgeon will advise on during your consultation.
Breast Fat Transfer Results
A subtle fullness is restored to the breasts. As implants are not used the final results are soft and natural-looking. Areas of the body that the fat is harvested from are slimmed and toned, with greater definition and an improved overall shape.
You will be required to attend a series of follow-up appointments at The Private Clinic with a nurse and then a 6-week check-up appointment with your surgeon. At this stage, you should be back to your everyday activities and your surgeon will be able to advise you on anything that you are unsure of or have questions about.
The Private Clinic have collaborated with Chrysalis Finance to offer 0% finance for our patients.*
*Acceptance is subject to status. Terms and conditions apply.
FAQs
Unlike breast implants, once the extracted fat is transferred back into the body, it is down to how the body reacts to it which will determine how successful the procedure has been.
Ideally, the results of breast fat transfer are considered to be permanent but there is also no guarantee of this. The newly transferred fat requires a good blood supply in order to survive.
A certain percentage, usually 30 – 40% of the transferred fat cells will be reabsorbed by the body. This is unavoidable as it is a very normal part of fat transfer procedures.
The fat transferred will behave like fat located elsewhere in the body. This means that it is susceptible to weight fluctuations and ageing which can cause fat cells to shrink.
Exercise and other strenuous activities should be avoided for at least 3 weeks following surgery, but highly strenuous exercise should ideally be avoided for 6 weeks. We recommend discussing your exercise regime with your surgeon during your consultation so they can advise on which activities to avoid during recovery.
At 6 weeks, your surgeon can then advise on when to return to all exercise based on your recovery.
Avoiding exercise following breast fat transfer helps to prevent the transferred fat from being reabsorbed by the body. It takes time for the fat to integrate into the recipient tissue.
We advise patients to sleep on their back following breast fat transfer. This reduces the risk of excessive pressure being placed on the breasts whilst they are healing.
You will be able to return to sleeping on your side 2 weeks following surgery and we would recommend avoiding sleeping on your front until 6 weeks. If you are feeling concerned or confused about sleeping following breast fat transfer, please contact your patient advisor who can put you in touch with either the surgeon or one of our nurses to help advise on the best solution for you.
We recommend that all patients wear a support bra following breast fat transfer at all times (aside from bathing) for at least 6 weeks.
Following this, we may advise to continue wearing the bra at night for another few months following the procedure.
A support bra helps to support the breasts following surgery which always help with ensuring the best results.
The results following breast fat transfer are not always immediately visible.
It is important for the patient to understand that results can take several months to develop and over time, the body may naturally absorb some of the transplanted fat.
It can take approximately 4 to 6 months for the breasts to remodel and reach the final size and shape and any type of fat transplant procedure requires up to 6 months for results to be visible.
We recommend that patients maintain a healthy lifestyle after the procedure to help with healing and minimise the risk of complications.
There will be a short period of downtime following breast fat transfer, this usually lasts between 1-2 weeks. During this time many patients take time off work to recover at home.
Bruising and swelling post-procedure is likely to last 1-3 weeks and strenuous exercise and lifting should be avoided for at least 6 weeks.
Your surgeon will discuss what downtime is required and will be able to advise on when is best for you to return to all of your usual activities. This is usually after 6 weeks.
Like all procedures, breast fat transfer does have potential risks and side effects.
Side effects and risks of breast fat transfer include:
Bruising, swelling, pain, numbness, fat necrosis, granulomas, oil cyts, asymmetry, infection, scarring and unsatisfactory results.
Our expert medical team will be on-hand 24hrs following your procedure to ensure that you are recovering well and avoiding where possible, any side effects from breast fat transfer treatment.
Breast fat transfer takes around 2-3 hours to perform.
The time required depends on the number of areas being treated.
Patients will also be required to stay in the hospital for some time after the procedure has taken place for post-operative checks before being discharged by the surgeon.
Some patients may require more than one breast fat transfer procedures.
There is a limit on how much fat can be extracted in one procedure and over time, not all the fat transplanted survives.
We ensure that all our patients have realistic expectations of the procedure and what results they are likely to achieve.
During your consultation, our expert consultant plastic surgeons will analyse the body and areas where fat will be taken from. Along with this information, they will also discuss the patient’s desired breast size and shape, as well as taking note of the patient’s overall health and medical history. Based on this evaluation, the surgeon will be able to provide an estimate of the number of procedures that may be required.
Common areas of the body used for breast fat transfer are the thighs, tummy or flanks.
There will need to be a sufficient amount of fat in the area to enable your surgeon to remove this via liposuction and get the best fat transfer results. Fat cells that are healthy and well-vascularised are more likely to survive transplantation.
The amount of fat that can be removed will vary from patient to patient depending on their natural body shape and size.
Our surgeons specialise in evaluating the amount of fat that can be transplanted to help you achieve the best results.
We advise that fat transfer to the breasts is usually capable of increasing your breast size by one to one-and-half cup sizes.
The amount of fat available to be transferred and the quality of the fat will determine how much of an increase in size is possible.
Our team of expert surgeons will be happy to answer all of your questions. Click here to book a consultation.
Breast Fat Transfer Consultations are Available in these Clinics
Why choose The Private Clinic
- The Private Clinic has been treating patients for over 40 years with thousands of women placing their trust in us each year.
- Top UK specialised best plastic surgeons with decades of experience.
- Dedicated care with your expert plastic surgeon and nurses, and a 24 hour help line.
- We have state of the art hospital facilities.
- 5 Star Trustpilot Rating
Meet our Breast Fat Transfer Surgeons
MD
GMC Number : 7614248
London Harley Street
BS, MD
GMC Number : 6130664
London Harley Street
