If you’re looking for the best way to increase the volume of your breasts, you may be at a crossroads in deciding which breast augmentation procedure is right for you. The two most common options for women looking to enlarge their breasts are breast implants and lipofilling.
How do breast implants work?
Breast implants are pouches filled with silicone gel or saline solution. These implants are inserted under the natural breast tissue or under the pectoral tissue and muscles.
Implants are available in a wide variety of specifications. Size, shape, texture and profile are all choices you’ll have to make when it comes to your breast implants. Fortunately, there is now simulation software that lets you preview the result of your operation in augmented reality during your consultation with your plastic surgeon.
These implants are then inserted through an incision made along the inframammary fold (the fold where the breasts meet the ribs), around the areola or in the armpit.
Advantages of breast augmentation with implants
One of the significant advantages of breast augmentation with implants is that they allow you to sculpt your breasts to your desires, so to speak, thanks to the countless combinations of implant sizes and shapes…
Another advantage of implants over fat transfers is the longevity of results, which lasts from 10 to 15 years under normal circumstances. Unlike lipofilling, breast implants produce immediate, visible results.
What is lipofilling?
Lipofilling breast augmentation is a technique whereby breast augmentation is performed naturally, i.e. without breast implants.
This procedure is performed in three stages, removing fat from one area of the body and transplanting it into another, in this case, the breasts.
Lipofilling harvests unwanted fat from the abdomen, hips, thighs or buttocks and separates out the healthiest, most resistant fat cells.
The remaining fat cells are then injected into different parts of the breast to create a subtle fullness.
Advantages of breast augmentation by lipofilling
The most important advantage of lipofilling transfer is that it uses a patient’s own tissue, so breasts look and feel as natural as possible.
Breast augmentation with lipofilling uses your own fat to add volume to your breasts in a very natural way and with a perfectly natural result.
Once the graft has been installed, the result is permanent and the size of your breasts will vary like any other fat on your body.
- Breasts are natural and soft to the touch.
- This is a scarless breast augmentation.
- Breast lipofilling is an autologous and 100% natural procedure, as it uses the patient’s own fat.
Differences between implants and lipofilling
Breast augmentation with implants
Breast implant surgery can be performed under local or general anesthesia, but in most cases it’s performed under general anesthesia, in which you sleep and feel no pain.
To carry out the procedure, the following steps are required:
ncision realization
A single incision is made in the breast. The incision site can be one of the following: fold under the breast, under the arm or around the nipple.
Creating a pocket
A pocket is created by separating the breast tissue from the muscles, and this pocket may lie in front of or behind the pectoralis muscle in the chest wall.
Implant insertion
The implant is inserted into the created pocket and secured behind the nipple. Silicone implants are filled before insertion, whereas saline implants are filled after insertion into the pocket.
Closing incision
The incision will be closed by the surgeon in the typical manner using stitches, skin adhesive and a bandage.
Breast augmentation surgery will take from one to two hours.
Lipofilling breast augmentation
It is generally performed under local anaesthetic and involves three main stages.
Fat removal
Using a thin tube and suction device, small amounts of fat are suctioned through small incisions in the skin, from other parts of the body such as the thighs, buttocks and abdomen.
Grease treatment (purification)
Once the fat has been removed using a cannula, it is centrifuged under sterile conditions. This phase lasts just a few minutes and is designed to separate the still-intact fat cells from undesirable elements such as damaged adipocytes, defatted cells, blood cells and the saline solution injected beforehand.
Grease injection
Injections are made from several angles and in different directions to increase the contact surface between the transplanted cells and the recipient tissue, and to ensure that the graft is properly “fixed”.
What to choose: breast implants or lipofilling?
The best way to decide between these two options is to consult a specialized plastic surgeon. Depending on each person’s anatomy, desired results and personal preferences, it may be more advisable to use a prosthesis or perform breast augmentation with one’s own fat. Sometimes, the two techniques can even be combined to achieve optimum results: breast augmentation with implants, followed by lipofilling of the décolleté to harmonize shapes or for a more natural look.
As a general rule, you should bear in mind that if more than one cup-size breast augmentation is desired,implants are probably a safer option. However, every case is different, so it’s best to make a personalized assessment with an expert surgeon.
