Can Fat Injection Breast Augmentation Be Done In Less Than A Month?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in fat injection breast augmentation. I have a consultation coming up with you next week and was wondering if you use the Brava before fat transfer for breast expansion? I was wanting to get into surgery ASAP as I am going on vacation next month and want the surgery prior to the trip. If I have to wear the Brava, I won’t be able to get the surgery done before the trip and be healed enough to wear a bathing suit. Also, I would prefer conscious sedation to a general if you do that. 

A: If your goal is to have a completed fat injection breast augmentation within the next thirty days, that is not an achievable goal. Breast augmentation by fat injections, if you are a good candidate (and most people aren’t) requires 3 to 4 weeks of presurgical breast stimulation by the Brava device followed by a similar time period after surgery of use of the device. This is an optimal device, even though it is inconvenient, as it provides stimulation to the breast tissue and the injected fat so that its survival is optimized. Thus you can quickly see that is not going to work by your desired schedule. The only way that time period works to enjoy the benefits of breast augmentation by your vacation is the placement of breast implants. In either case, however, both are best done under general anesthesia. Successful breast augmentation, by any method, is not something to be done under local or sedation anesthesia without suffering a suboptimal result.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana