Breast Implant Problems Solved with Coleman Fat Grafting
Posted June 16, 2008 in Breast, Breast LipoStructure
Problems that women experience after silicone and saline breast implants include visible implant edges, rippling, hardness, and scarring. Also, the breast can be left with an unnatural shape: for example with poor cleavage, inadequate upper breast volume or deficient fullness up into the armpit.The Coleman technique, which moves a woman’s own fat to her breasts, may be a solution for all of these problems.
These photos illustrate what can be done to improve the look of artificial implants without removing them.Photos on the left were before fat grafting.Photos on the right are 8 years after placement of about 2 ounces of the patient’s own fat around the visible implant edges and over the bony breastbone and ribs using the Coleman method. No surgical procedures or implant exchanges were performed. The grafted fat softens the appearance of the bony chest allow natural cleavage to occur. The scar around the implant has softened so much that the orientation of the implant has changed from an obvious hard, vertical position to a softer, more horizontal position. The result is a natural appearance and softer breast with despite the presence of the original silicone implants .
On the current website of the American Society of Plastic Surgery the advisory: “Fat Grafting for Breast Augmentation – What Women Should Know” asks the question, “Is there an acceptable application for this procedure currently in use?” They advise women that fat grafting to the breast can be effective in breast reconstruction and to soften the appearance of existing implants, specifically in thin women and those with visible rippling.
Even though fat grafting around breast implants may be “acceptable,” women need to know that there are potential complications or problems. Women should go to plastic surgeons that are familiar with those problems and have the experience necessary to minimize possible complications. The results of fat grafts are incredibly dependent on the technique used and fat must be placed with extreme care.
I have been grafting fat to the breast in New York City since 1995, and published my initial experiences in the main plastic surgery peer review journal in 2007. Since then, I have lectured on fat grafting to the breastat every major plastic surgery meeting in the United States . I have also been invited to lecture at many major meetings in North and South America, Europe, and Asia on the topic.
Long-term studies still need to be completed. I am currently working with other plastic surgeons, oncologists and radiologists at NYU to develop a multi-center prospective study examining the use of fat grafting in the breast.
For more detailed information about fat grafting to the breast, please refer to LipoStructure.com.
Further references:
Article in WebMD
Lipofilling: a role in breast reconstruction surgery?
From “Behind the Medical Headlines” produced by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
Breast Augmentation Via Fat Grafting
From “Plastic Surgery Practice”
Breast Implant Problems Solved with Coleman Fat Grafting
Fat Grafting to the Breast Revisited: Safety and Efficacy.
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. 119(3):775-785, March 2007.
Coleman, Sydney R. M.D.; Saboeiro, Alesia P. M.D.
© Coleman 2008