Breast implant? Breast fat graft? Which one is better?

 

A lot of patients who want to improve their breast shape are concerned with which method to use – breast implants or fat graft.

 

Both methods have their own pros and cons so it’s not an easy decision to make. You might wonder which method is better suited for your specific case.

Let’s look at both methods and explain the difference from the perspective of a breast plastic surgery specialist.

 

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You can refer to the above table for a simple comparison between breast implants and breast fat grafting, but looking just at the table you might think that fat grafting is the better option…

 

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Breast Implants.

Perhaps the most well-known method for breast augmentation is the one using implants.

One advantage of this method is that we can enhance the size of the breasts to the desired one simply by inserting implants.

​However, this method requires an incision, which can leave a scar. You can return to your daily activities immediately after surgery, but the recovery process is different for each patient, so some might still feel pain or discomfort for a few day when raising their arms.

 

Breast Fat Grafting

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This surgery method involves extracting patient’s own fat and transplanting it into the breast area.

Fat is usually taken from patient’s stomach and thighs, and if the amount of fat is insufficient, the breast size might not be enhanced to the desired amount.

In addition, every patient is different in terms of fat cell absorption, and the rate of absorption also depends on the surgeon’s technique, so even if we inject the same amount of fat, the final results are often different.

 

 

Side Effects

Breast Implants Side Effects

In case of breast implants, the side effects include capsular contraction and implant damage.

According to some studies, capsular contraction happens in 0.2 to 0.3% of patients so it’s very rare. Implant damage used to be a lot more common in the past, due to the poor durability of saline breast implants, however the probability of implant bursting is much lower now due to new developments in implant technology.

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Breast Fat Grafting Side Effects

For breast fat grafting methods, the side effects include breast calcification and oil cysts.

The fat cells inserted into the breast tissue can calcify or develop into a lipoma. Compared to the capsular contraction of the implants, the occurrence is much higher and there is secondary damage since the lumps must be removed together with breast tissue via surgery.

 

We briefly explained the difference between breast implants and breast fat grafting.

It’s difficult to say which method would be better for your case, however we hope that you found the above information useful. Please keep it mind when you visit our hospital for a consultation with the doctor and we hope you will find the best way to achieve beautiful results.