Through a tiny incision, a narrow tube or cannula is inserted and used to carefully vacuum the fat layer that lies deep beneath the skin. The cannula is moved through the fat layer, breaking up the fat cells and suctioning them out by a vacuum pump or a large syringe. Once enough fat has been harvested, it is washed to purify it. The harvested fat are injected in different layers of the breast. The injection technique is critical to achieve permanent survival of the new cells within the breast. Hence they are injected in fine, long threads and only a limited amount of fat can be injected at one operation. These newly injected cells can survive for up to 48 hours without being in direct contact with blood vessels to provide the oxygen and nutrition they need to survive. In the meantime new blood vessels need to form to supply their longer term needs. This process is strongly inhibited in smokers.

Approximately 30% of the injected fat will reabsorb within the first 3 months post-surgery. The results following this period are usually lifelong but may be impacted by weight change, pregnancy and ageing.

Lipofilling is normally safe particularly when being performed by a fully trained and accredited plastic surgeon like Mr Samer Saour. Although larger volumes of fat are harvested than are needed, compared to liposuction for cosmetic reasons, relatively small amounts of fat are removed overall and the risks are minimal. The scars from liposuction harvest are small and strategically placed to be hidden from view. The bruising may be extensive and will take several weeks to dissipate. The skin surface may be slightly irregular and a compression garment can be used to reduce the chances of this. Numbness and pigmentation changes may occur but these should settle after several months. The area within the breast that has been injected with fat will be bruised, swollen and inflamed. This should settle over the first few days. Sometimes, inadequate volume transfer takes place and additional lipomodelling may be recommended. Calcification (calcium build-up in tissues) of fat droplets is the most common longer term complication (1.5 –10% of cases). This can be noted on scans (ultrasound, mammogram or MRIs) and may lead to a recommendation for a biopsy of these areas. In some cases Mr Saour may recommend a scan prior to surgery and one three months after the lipofilling which can be used as a baseline for future comparison. Mr Saour will discuss all the potential risks during your consultation.