BREAST SURGERY
Lipofilling
What is it about?
In recent years, lipofilling has emerged as an important resource. Adipose tissue, in fact, can be used as a filler (etymologically lipos: fat to fill: to fill) both in aesthetic surgery, in reconstructive surgery, as well as in less complex procedures of aesthetic medicine. Shortly after the invention of lipoaspiration, in fact, we realized the importance of fat as a volumizing substance and the possibility of reusing, rather than throwing away, the sucked fat. In fact, fat has an important regenerative capacity, thanks to the high percentage of stem cells (about 5% of the total number of cells). The fat, after being aspirated with special cannulae, is purified and separated from the liquid component. In this way a fluid substance is obtained, with a certain viscosity, ideal for being injected with thin cannulae in the areas to be treated.
Where does it apply?
Lipofilling has proved to be a valid alternative in breast surgery, for malformations such as Poland Syndrome, tuberous breast syndrome, to correct asymmetries and imperfections, as well as after the removal of breast tumors. Fat has the enormous advantage that, being an autologous component, that is, deriving from the patient himself, it does not cause foreign body reactions such as capsular contracture, a frequent complication for prostheses.
When it is necessary?
In the field of reconstruction after the removal of breast tumors, several lipofilling surgeries are required, but usually, if the patient is adequately informed and motivated, the result obtained gives the breast a natural appearance and texture. Before defining a therapeutic plan it is therefore necessary to have a visit and an appropriate classification of the patient, to understand which objectives are actually achievable. Fat is also useful for the improvement of areas previously treated with radiotherapy, or atrophic and depressed areas, for example after the injection of substances such as cortisone.
Can it be an alternative?
In aesthetic surgery, fat can be used in the breasts; however, the feasibility of the intervention with the patient should be discussed: in fact it is a step by step procedure, it is good to know that the immediate and permanent effect after the implantation of a breast prosthesis is not immediately reachable through the implantation of the fat, depending in a second analysis on the amount of fat available for sampling: it is therefore an alternative not recommended in thin patients.
BREAST SURGERY
Are you interested in breast surgery?
Is fat useful?
Fat can be useful for improving certain areas of the face, for example the cheekbones, the lips and the chin, which have no constitution or have lost tone and volume with aging. In the lips it is an alternative to the use of hyaluronic acid.It can also be used to improve the appearance and confer softness and elasticity in patients suffering from forms of scleroderma, which is a form of localized skin sclerosis characterized by skin hardening and the inability to open the mouth. Simple subcutaneous injections can greatly improve the self-confidence of these patients. Purified adipose tissue ready to be injected during a face lift.
However, it can be useful as an integrative and corrective procedure to the classic breast augmentation.
How will the result be?
In the nose, the injection of fat is known by the name of Rinofiller, constituting a non-surgical alternative to correct some isolated deformities such as the hump or the tip; the result is more stable than the injection of hyaluronic acid. This technique can also be used in cases of receding chin, to redefine the angle of the jaw, avoiding the use of fixed prostheses. In the cheekbones I can resort to grafting fat, instead of using hyaluronic acid or silicone implants, now obsolete. At the buttock level, fat can help redefine the contours and increase the projection of the upper gluteal area, considerably modifying the silhouette and giving a pleasant appearance.
What kind of anesthesia is used?
It depends on the extent of the areas to be treated: if you want to correct a small area, you can perform the entire procedure under local anesthesia, injecting the anesthetic into a small region of the abdomen for sampling. If, on the other hand, the area to be treated is larger, such as the buttocks or the mammary region, general anesthesia, or at least sedation, is required.
What are the recovery times?
Recovery times after lipofilling are fast: if the procedure involves small areas, the surgery is done in Day Surgery, with discharge the same evening. If, on the other hand, the treated area is larger, it is preferable to keep the patient under observation one night and discharge him the next day. Usually the patient returns in a few days to perform ordinary activities; it is recommended to avoid sports for about 4 weeks after the surgery. The patient will wear an elastic compression girdle / sheath for approximately 4 weeks.
What are the complications?
Adipose tissue, coming from our body, represents an important resource, not constituting a foreign material such as the prosthesis or to a lesser extent hyaluronic acid. For this reason, the only drawback is the reabsorption of fat. Resorption is unpredictable: in some patients it can take root 100%, in others 70%, in others it can completely reabsorb. For this reason, the patient must be adequately informed and followed after the procedure in the clinic in order to be able to make corrections if necessary.
