How Does Breast Fat Transfer Compare to Implants?

Thinking about enhancing your breasts but want a more natural option? Many women today are turning to fat transfer instead of breast implants. It’s a more subtle way to add volume. But how does breast fat transfer compare to implants, and how do you know which one is right for you?

At Atlanta Plastic & Reconstructive Specialists, we help patients make informed decisions based on their personal goals and lifestyle. Our board-certified plastic surgeons are known for their personalized care and over 30 years of experience delivering natural-looking, long-lasting results.

What Is Breast Fat Transfer?

Silicone and saline breast implants offer immediate volume increases tailored to your goals. Prior to your procedure, you’ll try on a variety of “sizers” to see how they feel and look. This allows our surgeons to create predictable results, both in terms of fullness and projection. But fat transfer has some big benefits too.

Breast fat transfer uses your fat to boost breast volume. Using liposuction, your surgeon removes fat from the abdomen, thighs, or love handles. They injected purified fat into the breasts to shape and enhance them.

Comparing Fat Transfer to Breast Implants

Some key differences between the two approaches are:

• Volume Increase: Although you can achieve a noticeable yet subtle volume increase with fat transfer, implants can achieve a larger size change overall. 
• Feel: Fat feels more natural because it’s your tissue. However, most women who get breast implants don’t notice any significant differences in sensation after healing.
• Incisions: Fat transfer typically requires smaller incisions because your surgeon places fat, not an entire implant or implant shell.
• Longevity: Some transferred fat (around 30-50%) is reabsorbed by the body, but this is normal. The remainder of the fat typically remains in place for years. With implants, the volume remains unchanged over the years.
• Dual Benefit: Your surgeon performs liposuction to harvest the fat for your transfer. This also contours the donor area, so the procedure lets you enhance two regions simultaneously.

Another significant difference between fat transfer and implants is the potential for complications. Performed by the elite board-certified surgeons at Atlanta Plastic & Reconstructive Specialists, breast implant complications like capsular contracture are quite low because they use the most advanced techniques to enhance precision and safety. 

However, fat transfer has no risk of capsular contracture because there’s no foreign material to trigger it. 

Fat Transfer: Is it Right For You?

Fat transfer may be right for you if:

• You want a subtle, natural enhancement
• You have enough fat in donor areas
• You want to avoid implants
• You’re seeking a small cup size increase

At Atlanta Plastic & Reconstructive Specialists, we love making our patients feel valued and respected through personalized care from start to finish. We’re happy to discuss your candidacy during a consultation.

Breast Fat Transfer in Atlanta and Alpharetta

Schedule your consultation with Atlanta Plastic & Reconstructive Specialists to determine if breast fat transfer suits you. Call us at 404-255-2975 (Northside) or 404-343-0897 (Piedmont West) to book your appointment in Atlanta.