Breast Fat Grafting: Criteria for Determining the Amount of Fat and Considerations for Injection

Breast Fat Grafting: Amount of Fat

Criteria for Determining the Amount and Considerations for Injection

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This is Globee Plastic Surgery Clinic.

Amount of Fat for Breast Fat Grafting

A clinic that upholds the principles of plastic surgery, Globee Plastic Surgery Clinic
Upholding the fundamentals is the most important principle in plastic surgery. Procedures should be designed with the patient's entire lifetime in mind. Both the process and the results must be safe. At Globee, our patients always come first.
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Postoperative care can also be considered an extension of the surgery. We provide personalized care programs to help our patients recover quickly.

As patients prepare for breast fat grafting,

we are most often asked,

“How much fat needs to be injected for it to be enough?”

Many people understand that the amount of fat changes the result,

but are unsure what the actual criteria are

and come to us after spending the night searching online.

In this post, we will honestly explain

the actual criteria used to determine the amount of fat

and the variables that must be considered during injection.

The amount of fat is determined not by

the desired size, but by the available space

Amount of Fat for Breast Fat Grafting

Doesn’t a larger number of cc mean a larger result?

When this question comes up in the consultation room,

we pause for a moment.

It is natural to feel that way intuitively,

but in practice, the situation is almost the opposite.

Breast fat grafting involves distributing fat

within existing tissue layers,

so its structure is fundamentally different

from implant surgery, which creates a new space.

When filling a flowerpot with soil,

if you put in more than the pot can hold,

the soil eventually spills over.

Likewise, the thickness and width of each person’s

different tissue layers determine

the “upper limit” of the amount of fat that can be injected.

The volume change that can be clinically expected

is approximately half a cup to one cup from the current size.

If an excessive amount is injected beyond this,

fat that cannot settle within the tissue layers

may clump together and undergo necrosis,

or lead to calcification or cysts.

The complication most closely watched for in clinical practice

is necrosis caused by over-injection.

Fat necrosis can be difficult to identify visually in its early stages

and begins first with changes in the internal tissue,

so particular care is required during surgery.

The choice of the fat-harvesting site also directly affects the result.

If 1,000 cc is aspirated from the thighs,

approximately 500 cc of pure fat cells can be obtained after centrifugation,

but the abdomen or arms contain more oily tissue,

so even when the same amount is aspirated,

the yield is often only around 300 cc.

At Globee, we generally harvest fat from the thighs

with cell quality in mind,

while following the principle of aspirating evenly

so that the inner thigh, outer thigh, and inner knee lines

are not distorted.

For body types with very little body fat,

where it is difficult to obtain a sufficient amount for harvesting,

we first recommend implant surgery as an alternative

rather than fat grafting.

This is because Globee’s policy

is to tell patients what they need to know first,

rather than simply saying what they want to hear.

Where and how the fat is injected

determines the result

Amount of Fat for Breast Fat Grafting

If enough fat has been harvested,

can’t we simply inject all of it?

How the harvested fat is placed

is a more important variable than the amount of fat.

For people with thin skin and narrow glandular tissue layers,

concentrating fat in one area

increases the possibility of necrosis.

In such cases, rather than injecting excessively,

fat should be precisely distributed in small amounts

across multiple layers

to improve tissue stability and create balanced volume.

The triple-layer fat retention technique involves

distributing and injecting small amounts of fat evenly

into three layers: beneath the muscle,

beneath the glandular tissue,

and beneath the skin.

Just as thin sheets of paper are placed one by one

between the pages of a thick book,

fat cells must be positioned as close as possible

to the surrounding blood vessels

so that oxygen and nutrients can be supplied smoothly.

If SVF (stem cells) is injected together with the fat,

it may accelerate blood vessel regeneration around the grafted area,

allowing the process of fat cells settling into their new location

to proceed more stably.

SVF consists of stem cells extracted from adipose tissue

and contains abundant growth factors that promote tissue regeneration,

so it serves as an adjunct to improve the grafting environment.

However, it is difficult to state definitively that SVF guarantees every result,

and individual factors and postoperative care

still play a significant role.

For one month after surgery,

avoid wearing undergarments with underwires

or firm padding

so that blood flow to the grafted area is not compressed.

When sleeping, do not lie on your stomach.

Raising your upper body by the height of one pillow

can help maintain blood flow and reduce swelling.

When showering, rather than rubbing the area around the breasts firmly with your fingertips,

gently patting it dry can make a practical difference in stabilization.

Smoking constricts blood vessels and interferes with the blood supply

to the grafted fat, so it should be strictly avoided

for at least one month before and after surgery,

including exposure to secondhand smoke.

Breast fat grafting is a procedure in which

the amount of fat, the method of placement,

and postoperative care must work together

in order to expect the desired result.

At Globee, our principle is to share the potential for complications

and realistic limitations as they are,

and to establish a harvesting and injection plan

suited to each patient’s body type.

We recommend first confirming whether fat grafting

is the right choice for your circumstances

and reviewing a plan suited to your individual case.

※ Breast fat grafting may involve risks of complications

such as inflammation, infection, calcification, and fat necrosis,

so diagnosis by an experienced specialist is essential.

Globee Plastic Surgery Clinic
Thank you for reading this lengthy post. ​ When making an appointment or consultation inquiry, please just mention, “I’m contacting you after seeing your blog.” ​ We will be delighted to assist you with even greater care and attention to detail!

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Globee Plastic Surgery Clinic

is located a one-minute walk from Exit 4 of Apgujeong Station

on Seoul Subway Line 3,

at Floors 5 and 6 of the EGI Building,

843 Nonhyeon-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

Consultation appointments are available on both weekdays and weekends.

All consultations are conducted privately on a one-on-one basis.

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Amount of Fat for Breast Fat Grafting