There are 3 main approaches to breast augmentation: breast implants, fat injection (fat transfer), and injectable filler injection. Of these techniques, the placement of implants is the most common method to increase the size of the breasts, and for that reason in many cases when we say ‘breast augmentation’ we mean breast implant surgery.
Fat transfer is also a popular breast enhancement procedure but the results are not as great as those of implants. Fat transfer is not just used for enhancing the breasts but it’s used in many other parts of the body for the same purpose.
Injectable filler injection is the least popular breast augmentation technique, which is less safe than the other approaches and is not recommended by many surgeons.
Breast implants
Breast implants are prosthetic devices used to add volume and firmness to the breasts. They are either completely made of silicone (outer silicone shell with silicone gel inside), which are the most common type of implants and are known as silicone implants, or have a silicone shell filled with saline (salt water), known as saline implants.
Breast implants surgery is often performed under general anesthesia, during which the patient remains unconscious under the effect of anesthetic medicines. The implants are inserted into the breast through incisions that are made in different locations, including under the breasts (inframammary), around the areola (periareolar), in the armpit (transaxillary), and above the navel (transumbilical).
As for the placement of the implants too, there are two main approaches: placing the implant under the breast tissue and over the chest muscle (subglandular placement) and placing the implant under the chest muscle (submuscular or subpectoral placement).
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Fat transfer
A fat transfer breast augmentation is a less invasive solution. It is one of the most common uses of the fat transfer (fat grafting) procedure, more technically known as autologous fat grafting, which involves extracting fat from one part of the patient’s own body with excess fat deposits and injecting it into another part to add volume to it and enhance its shape.
Breast enlargement with fat grafting involves a liposuction procedure to harvest fat from other parts of the patient’s body followed by purification and injection steps. The procedure is usually done under local anesthesia on an outpatient basis.
Fat grafting breast augmentation has a double benefit. The liposuction removes the unwanted fat deposits from areas such as the abdomen, flanks, and thighs, making them slimmer and fitter, and the injection of the fat into the breasts makes them look fuller and shapelier. The result of this technique is, however, not as good as that achieved with breast implants, but it is best for those who want to get the benefits of a fine body sculpting procedure all over their body while avoiding the risks of getting artificial objects into their body. Furthermore, up to 50 percent of the injected fat is reabsorbed by the body over time, causing the breasts to lose some of the volume obtained.
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Dermal fillers
Dermal fillers for breast augmentation is the least invasive technique. Dermal fillers, also called injectable fillers, are gel-like substances made from different materials that are injected under the skin for cosmetic purposes, including enhancing the volume and smoothing out wrinkles.
Injectable fillers are an option for women who do not want to have a surgical operation but also do not have enough fat deposits for fat transfer. However, dermal fillers for breast enlargement also carries a higher risk of complications than the other two methods, so it is not a very common procedure. While the FDA has approved dermal fillers to be used for the augmentation of lips, cheek, and jawline, it doesn’t recommend them for body contouring purposes, including breast augmentation.
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