Autologous Fat Grafting to the Breast

Structural fat grafting is a form of tissue transfer where the autologous fat is harvested and subsequently transferred to a different region of the body at the same setting. It is an excellent technique for filling soft tissue and contour defects. Fat has the benefit of being abundantly available and easy to harvest. Further more, it is cheap and autogenous and thus lacks the side effects of synthetic fillers or implants. Autogenous fat transfer is a relatively common procedure performed by plastic and reconstructive surgeons. The goal of fat grafting is to provide the patient with a predictable, long lasting autogenous soft tissue augmentation. Autogenous fat transfer has been used extensively as an adjunct to facial rejuvenation. As well it has been applied to body contouring and augmentation of the hips, trochanteric areas, thighs and buttocks, back, torso and breast. The transfer of autologous fat dates back to 1890s and more specifically as injectable grafts since the 1920s. However, over the past 20 years the popularity of structural fat grafting has increased as a contouring modality. Fat transfer to the breast, popularized by Coleman, has been performed internationally since the 1990s. Despite the duration, the literature lacks accurate outcomes data on fat transfer to the breast and questions regarding the viability of adipocytes after the transfer exist. Sources from various publications show cell viability of up to 100% however studies of long term clinical outcomes quote rates of 10% to 80%.