Breast augmentation surgery is the top surgical procedure in the U.S. and has been for decades. With new implant technologies and surgical techniques, we see more natural and beautiful breast augmentation results every year. However, some women who undergo this procedure do not achieve the aesthetic they originally envisioned. Some of the most common breast augmentation complications are:

• Rippling: Visible implant rippling is common, especially in women with thinner breast tissue or those whose augmentation was performed using saline implants.
• Visible Edges: Noticeable implant edges can occur in women with thin breast tissue or who have a narrow chest wall.
• Implant protrusion: If the pectoral muscle has been over-skeletonized to create projection and cleavage, the implant may protrude from beneath.
• Capsular contracture: The scar tissue shell that naturally surrounds the implant has hardened and constricted the breast(s).

Whether the results of your breast augmentation do not meet your expectations or postoperative complications have altered the shape of your breasts, it may be time to consider breast revision using fat grafting to achieve the bustline you desire. In the past, an implant exchange was the only way to perform breast revision surgery. However, Dr. Renato Calabria uses a revolutionary fat grafting breast revision procedure with stem cell-enriched fat to improve the shape and aesthetics of augmented breasts.

Benefits of Stem Cell-Enhanced Fat Grafting

More women are choosing fat grafting over implant exchange because of the incredible advantages of the procedure. Dr. Calabria’s fat grafting procedure utilizes stem cell-enriched fat, which is scientifically proven to provide more permanent and longer-lasting results. Since fat grafting uses patient-harvested fat, you can contour other problem areas of your body to sculpt a more attractive figure, such as a flatter tummy, more slender hips, or slimmer thighs. Additionally, because the fat is injected using a syringe, it doesn’t cause any additional scarring on the breasts. In general, patients who choose fat grafting for breast revision find their procedure to be less invasive and more beneficial for improving their overall appearance.

If you are unhappy with your breast augmentation results, fill out our online contact form to schedule a consultation with Dr. Calabria and see if fat grafting is right for you.

How Can Fat Help?

Fat grafting can be used in specific revision cases where a poor breast appearance is caused by implant distortion. Adding fat to the breasts helps plump the tissue, which masks the visible surface or edges of the implants. This process creates a smoother breast appearance and a more natural transition between the breast and chest wall. The technique of fat transfer can also transform the shape of the breasts, providing better definition and improved overall breast shape.

Improving Rippling or Dimpling

If you choose saline or textured implants for your breast augmentation, you may find that the uneven surface of the implant is visible under your skin. This is often the result of thin breast tissue that shows the imperfections of the implant. Fat grafting can transfer fatty tissue to the breasts to conceal visible rippling and leave a smoother breast appearance.

Conceal Implant Edges

Like with rippling, women with thin breast tissue are more likely to develop a distinct line around the edge of their implant. This can create a more noticeably augmented look, as the appearance of the implant is prominent. Fat may be transferred to the edges of the implant to create a more seamless transition between the implant and the chest wall.

Better Size and Projection

If you feel that your breasts aren’t the size you envisioned or that they don’t sit properly on your chest, you may not need to replace your current implants after removal. Adding fat to the breasts may provide the volume increase that you desire. In some patients, fat grafting can enhance cleavage and improve the projection of the breasts.

Eliminate Capsular Contracture

Women who have experienced capsular contracture (the tightening of the scar tissue around the breast implant) may choose to remove their implants and use fat grafting to enhance the size of their breasts. While breast enhancement using fat provides a more modest size increase, it doesn’t run the risk of painful capsular contracture development.

Achieve the Breasts of Your Dreams

Imperfections and complications can occur following your breast augmentation. Some of these issues present themselves early on, while others develop over time. With the near perfection of the modern fat grafting technique, we have found that we can improve the appearance of the breasts without having to remove or replace implants. If you are dissatisfied with your breast augmentation results, it might be time to see if breast revision using fat grafting will provide you with the results you desire.

If you wish to improve the appearance of your breasts after a previous breast augmentation, schedule your fat grafting consultation with Dr. Calabria today. You can call our Beverly Hills office at (310) 777-0069, our Rancho Mirage office at (760) 836-0077, or our Milan, Italy, office at 39.349.4662323.

Many people complain about unwanted excess fat on their bodies, which can be unflattering and cause someone to be self-conscious. Even though fat can be annoying and unnecessary, in some cases, fat can be a good thing!

By undergoing fat transfer surgery, you can remove stubborn fat from one area of your body and transfer it to another area that lacks volume, such as your face or breasts. Compared to more invasive procedures, such as breast augmentation with implants or a facelift, fat relocation can improve the appearance of your face or breasts with fewer risks and less discomfort.

Whether you want to diminish the outward signs of facial aging, plump your recessed cheeks, or achieve shapelier breasts, fat transfer is an excellent procedure for those in good health who have realistic expectations of their results.

What Is Stem Cell Fat Grafting?

Several factors, such as genetics and aging, can contribute to unwanted fat depletion in the face and body. Synthetic fillers can be administered to problem areas to help with volume deficiency, but fat grafting is a superior and organic alternative for natural, long-lasting effects. Because your surgeon transfers your own cells, there is no chance of rejection, unlike with manufactured implants and injectables.

Dr. Calabria utilizes stem cell fat grafting techniques—a revolutionary fat transfer process—in both facial rejuvenation and breast augmentation for enhanced results. First, liposuction is used to extract unwanted fat from the abdomen or other trouble zones of the body. Next, the regenerative cells are purified and injected into the desired region to create dimension. The purified cells stimulate tissue retention, which leads to stable long-term effects. The differences between facial and breast fat grafting lie in the fat harvesting process and recovery experience.

Fat Transfer Benefits

There are many excellent reasons to choose fat grafting. This revolutionary procedure:

• Removes unwanted fat
• Reduces risks and complications
• Is a safe and effective alternative
• Is less invasive compared to other surgeries
• Provides immediate results

Breast Fat Transfer

Breast augmentation using fat transfer is performed by starting with liposuction to remove fat from one area of the body. The purified cells will then be injected into the breasts. Typically, the fat used is taken from the abdomen, hips, flanks, or thighs. The patient’s fat cells can produce more round and lifted breasts with a natural appearance.

If you choose breast fat grafting, your doctor will remove more excess fat from other parts of the body for the transfer. This results in fuller breasts as well as a newly sculpted silhouette. Recovery is likely to take longer than a facial fat graft due to the larger surgical sites.

Facial Fat Transfer

A non-surgical facelift can reduce signs of facial aging due to the loss of skin elasticity or fullness. Facial fat grafting may be used to improve lines, wrinkles, gaunt cheeks, thin lips, and hollows under the eyes. By removing unwanted fat from a specific area and using it to add volume and sculpt the face into the desired contour, patients can expect to achieve a natural-looking complexion and a more youthful appearance.

A large amount of fat is unnecessary for this procedure since the dermis usually needs smaller improvements. Minimal liposuction is required. Recovery time is much shorter than transfers that require significant amounts of tissue.

Results

With fat transfer, patients can lose fat from one area of their body while contouring another area lacking shape or volume. Overall, fat transfer can help a person feel comfortable in their skin again and have better confidence in their body!

If you would like to learn more about fat transfer surgery, Dr. Calabria can provide you with additional information. You can schedule your consultation by calling our Beverly Hills office at (310) 777-0069, our Rancho Mirage office at (760) 836-0077, or our Milan, Italy, office at 39.349.4662323. You can also contact us by filling out our online contact form.  

Breast augmentation is most commonly performed using implants, and, as breast augmentation is the most regularly performed cosmetic surgery in the country, that means that there are a lot of implants used each year. While breast augmentation with implants is a successful way to achieve the breast volume and shape you desire, it’s far from the only way. It can also, unfortunately, come with many potential complications. If you are currently experiencing difficulties with your breast implants, stem cell fat grafting can revise and improve the quality of your breast augmentation results.

Potential Breast Implant Complications

Implant Rupture

Breast implants are durable, but they are not foolproof. Implants, whether they are filled with saline or silicone gel, can rupture. A rupture can be caused by a break or tear in the silicone shell of an implant, which results in leakage of the filler material into the chest and body.

Capsular Contracture

Capsular contracture happens when a thick scar tissue capsule develops and begins to contract around one or both breast implants. This condition can result in both a distorted breast shape as well as significant physical pain for the patient. A stem cell breast augmentation does not involve the use of implants, so no scar tissue will form.

Implant Rippling

Implants, especially saline implants, are prone to visible rippling. This occurs when the edges of the implant and the ripples in the surface are visible through the skin, thus compromising the natural appearance of the breasts.

Breast Implant Illness

Breast implant illness is a rare and not-often-discussed potential risk associated with breast implants. While many women experience no postoperative complications after breast augmentation with implants, some women begin to feel very sick. Symptoms of breast implant illness include fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain, digestive issues, infections, and pain around the chest and breasts.

Improper Placement

Although breast implants are placed in a carefully created breast pocket, it is still possible for the implants to shift. When this occurs, you may need to go back to your breast surgeon to not only adjust the positioning of the implant but also shrink and resize the breast pocket.

Limited Longevity

Breast implants are not designed to last forever. Eventually, a revision surgery will be necessary to replace them. On average, implants last anywhere from 10 to 15 years as long as there are no other complications. Stem cell breast augmentation has no limited life expectancy because the transferred fat cells permanently graft to the area.

Revise or Replace Your Implants With Stem Cell Fat Grafting

Dr. Calabria is one of the few surgeons to offer stem cell fat grafting as an alternative to or as a combination procedure with breast implants. Stem cell fat grafting is a multi-step procedure that involves first removing unwanted fat cells from the abdomen, thighs, or buttocks, and then separating the vital stem cells from that fat. A higher concentration of those stem cells is mixed into the fat, which is then injected into the breasts. Stem cell-enriched fat can either repair implant deformities or replace an implant altogether. Stem cell fat grafting is the most natural way to enhance the size and volume of the breasts without all of the implant-related complications.

To learn more about the benefits of stem cell fat grafting for your breast augmentation or breast augmentation revision, contact Dr. Calabria by calling his Beverly Hills office at (310) 777-0069, his Rancho Mirage office at (760) 836-0077, or his Milan, Italy office at 39.349.4662323 to set up a consultation.

Liposuction and breast augmentation are two of the most commonly performed cosmetic surgeries today. Unfortunately, while these procedures are very successful in achieving results, those results do not always turn out exactly as you would like. Common complications and surgical imperfections include irregularities in the smoothness or overall contour of the treated area. However, Dr. Calabria offers a stem cell addition to liposuction and a stem cell alternative to breast augmentation that can eliminate the possibility of surgical imperfections.

Traditional Liposuction Vs. Stem Cell Fat Grafting

During a traditional liposuction procedure, small incisions are made in the treatment area before loosened fat cells are suctioned out through a small tube. Liposuction is effective in removing unwanted fat cells nearly anywhere on the body, and patients quickly notice the results. Unfortunately, as liposuction only removes fat cells, it cannot always control the positioning of the remaining cells. Therefore, traditional liposuction often results in skin dimpling, dents, and contour irregularities.

Body contouring with stem cell fat grafting restores these dents. During a stem cell fat grafting procedure, traditional liposuction is first performed. However, once all of the targeted fat is gone, Dr. Calabria returns to the treatment area to inject stem cell fat. This injection will not only fill in the dimples and dents left from the liposuction, but the stem cells secrete growth factors that trigger additional cell production and growth. By combining liposuction with stem cell fat grafting, natural-looking results are finally possible. You can get rid of unwanted fat without sacrificing a smooth, shapely contour.

Breast Implants Vs. Stem Cell Breast Augmentation

Stem cell breast augmentation uses stem cell fat grafting instead of implants as the augmenting material. During a traditional breast augmentation, either a saline or silicone breast implant is inserted into the chest. While this implant will enhance the size, volume, and shape of the breast, it can also contribute to unnatural-looking results. It can be hard to predict the way a solid implant will sit on the chest and how your natural breast tissue and fat will mold to it. If the surrounding tissue and fat don’t move in the expected way, then your implant may create unusual dents or creases on the breast. On the other hand, stem cell breast augmentation uses fat harvested from your body to fill the area. Therefore, this procedure offers more natural-looking fullness than an implant could.

Any implant is a foreign object, and your body will treat it that way. This means that scar tissue will form around it, and it is possible for this scar tissue to contract around the implant, causing a significant amount of physical discomfort as well as creating a deformed breast appearance. This occurrence is known as capsular contracture, and it is the most common complication associated with breast implants. However, stem cell breast augmentation comes without the risk of capsular contraction because nothing foreign is being added to your body. Here, fat is simply being taken and added back to a more desirable location. Your body cannot reject your own fat, and no scar tissue will form, which makes stem cell breast augmentation a much safer and more comfortable alternative to breast implants.

To learn more about how stem cell fat grafting and breast augmentation can repair surgical imperfections, contact Dr. Calabria at his Beverly Hills office at (310) 879-1488, Rancho Mirage office at (760) 836-0077, or Milan, Italy, office at +39.349.4662323 to set up a consultation.