I had my consultation for fat transfer breast augmentation Tuesday afternoon. They are now working on the prior authorization paperwork to submit to my insurance company. I should be able to get the procedure done before the end of the year!
I’m happy to try and answer any questions you might have, so ask away.
Hi Yusuf,
Thank you for offering a Q&A if sorts.
Is there a website that explains the process?
Do they just inject the fat into the breast area?
Above or under the muscle wall?
Are there any additional things done to keep the fat where it’s placed?
What keeps the fat where it’s placed?
Is fat living cells? If so, what provisions are made to keep it alive once implanted?
I’m assuming the fat is taken from the belly between the skin and muscle wall. Is that correct?
What is the cost of the procedure?
Thanks and hugs!! Christie
The video someone else shared covers most of your questions, but I will clarify a couple things.
Firstly, the fat is purified before it is transferred.
My surgeon says the there is a 30-50% loss in what is transferred.
Only a small increase is doable with one procedure. If too much fat is transferred into one area, some of it will die and a hard cyst can form, that’s why smaller amounts are transferred. Don’t expect more than about a half cup increase.
Multiple procedures are frequently done to get bigger increases in size.
As for cost, I have no idea. It’s covered by my insurance.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TGLE249hdqI This video does a pretty good job at explaining how the procedure works.
I'm planning on getting ft ba done in November and am in the same phase as you! With Dr Zeidler. http://www.zeidlerplasticsurgery.com/
Best of luck!
Thanks ! You as well!
I like the location, but how does she compare to Dr Bednar?
We shall see. You can check her realself and some of the ft ba FB groups. My take is she seems to be less aggressive on her lipo and possibly less aggressive on her transfers though I've certainly seen her do 4-550cc transfers. She claims around 60-70% retainment which is around what bednar claims (or rather his is more complicated ). Ultimate I decided I really wanted to minimize chance of lipo / transfer complications over maximizing transfer cc.
She also had for me a number of advantages being in network for my insurance and local and I enjoyed our consult a lot. She also is doing it simultaneously with abdominaplasty (tummy tuck) which bednar won't do for out of towners (for decent reasons ).
Do you know her complication rate?
so complications as in necrotic tissue (oil cysts, nodes, etc... ) she didn't give specific numbers (similar to my bednar consult) but said rarely. I also haven't seen any one report them w/ her vs. a number w/ bednar (though bednar has a practice more focused on FT BA so).
Things I also like is she uses a gentler lipo method and does not use SVF - finds it's not helpful for the expense and also you have to sacrifice lipoaspirate for SVF and she/I suspect I don't have a lot of lipoaspirate. She uses "puregraft" rather than the standard centrifugation technique which has some demonstrated efficacy.
Since I don't have that much fat I'm not as concerned about cysts, especially since we are planning on two rounds.
Hi! Are you still happy with your result? :) I’m planning to go to her as well for lipo and an excision for breast tissue in the armpit
The video someone else shared covers most of your questions, but I will clarify a couple things.
Firstly, the fat is purified before it is transferred.
My surgeon says the there is a 30-50% loss in what is transferred.
Only a small increase is doable with one procedure. If too much fat is transferred into one area, some of it will die and a hard cyst can form, that’s why smaller amounts are transferred. Don’t expect more than about a half cup increase.
Multiple procedures are frequently done to get bigger increases in size.
As for cost, I have no idea. It’s covered by my insurance.
How much are you getting transferred, or perhaps how much does the surgeon usually transfer?
Who’s the surgeon?
There’s some info on fat transfer here
https://www.reddit.com/r/TransSurgeriesWiki/wiki/breasts/introduction
Dr. Valerie Lamaine will be doing it. It may be multiple rounds to do it, assuming insurance can be coaxed into playing along. The have no idea how much will be done per procedure at this point.
Who is your surgeon?
Dr. Valerie Lamaine.
I would love to know if the procedure could be performed multiple times? Could it be used in conjunction with actual implants, either gummy bear or saline? Can it be used before you've finished two years of HRT or should you wait until afterwards? Thank you!
It can and is frequently done multiple times.
I can also be done in conjunction with implants.
I think ideally you want to have some breast growth to be most effective. At least a year on HRT, but every case is different.
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