Breast Implants vs Autologous Fat Transfer
Women who have a naturally small breast profile, often disproportionate with their body structure, or those who dream of having a more hourglass structure, are dissatisfied with how their body looks. Living with a body which often does not feel completely their own, they may also suffer from loss of self-confidence and esteem. Breast augmentation procedure may be opted for in such cases to attain a more desired breast profile with an increased cup size.
Breast augmentation is a simple cosmetic surgery procedure. In basic terms, it is performed to increase the size of either one or both the breasts — this is determined by the current and desired breast profile of the woman.
There are two ways of performing breast augmentation -
Breast Implants
Breast implants are a very popular option when it comes to breast augmentation procedure — they are safe to use as they are made from medical grade silicone gel and can be customized as per the desired shape and size. This is determined in consultation with the surgeon who will assess what will look good and natural on a woman.
Yet another advantage of breast implants is that they do not require a touch up or secondary procedure — they retain their shape and what you see on the surgeon’s table is the final size of your breasts.
However, it is important to remember that breast implants come with a shelf life. Typically, 10 years, the implants may or may not last beyond this period. Therefore, at the end of this period, these implants must be replaced through another procedure.
Life events like pregnancy also reverse the result of a breast augmentation procedure using implants — not because the implants get damaged, but because the space available to them changes during pregnancy, which may alter the appearance of the breast profile.
Autologous Fat Transfer
Many women also opt for autologous fat transfer or fat grafting procedure for breast augmentation. In this procedure, excess fat from another part of the body is first removed via liposuction, treated and then grafted onto the breast tissue.
The advantage of fat transfer is two-fold -
- The fat is autologous, that is, pertaining to your own body. Thus, no foreign object is placed inside the body, unlike a breast implant.
- Excess fat from another body part is removed during this process.
Also, unlike breast implants, which have a shelf life, the enhancement achieved with fat transfer is permanent. Fat grafting can also help improve cleavage where required, which may be difficult to attain with implants, especially in women who are wide-chested.
However, unlike breast implants, which can help a woman attain any desired size, fat transfer can only be used for enhancement up to one cup size. Some of the fat is also absorbed by the body which may lead to asymmetry — a secondary procedure may be required in such cases to get the desired results.
At the end of the day, whichever procedure you finalize on, make sure to consult a board-certified female plastic surgeon to ensure a safe experience with the desired results. Dr Priya Bansal is a gold-medallist plastic surgeon in Delhi and is there to address all your concerns and queries.
