Ever wondered how nice it would be if all the fat removed from liposuction could be re-used and re-injected to fill up other areas of your body like the breasts, the buttocks and face?

The advantages are obvious: the fat is your own tissue so its safe and there is no fear of rejection or cross-infection.
And  because the fat cells are living, they are less likely to disintegrate or be absorbed as seen in other commercially available synthetic filler materials which often do not last more than a year!

This technology has actually been around for many years but because previous techniques of fat purification were not well developed, the quality of the fat was often not very good and a large part of the transplanted fat could not survive and often only about 30 to 60% of the amount injected actually remains.

But now, with new understanding of the bio-physiology of fat tissue and its role in stem cells, and invention of better machines to harvest, concentrate and refine the extraction of fat, doctors are now able to provide larger volumes of fat for use in breast, buttocks and facial enhancement.

One new type of machine is the Lipokit and with this technology, plastic surgeons are able to offer large volume enhancements in place of the traditional method of using breast implants, confident that much more of the fat tissue will be able to survive and for a much longer time. This is of course an exciting option for patients who do not wish to go under the knife or have artificial prostheses in their body.

I call this technique the “BBC Program”…Body to Breast Contouring Program.

This is because the fat is harvested much like a liposculpture technique, therefore providing a simultaneous body-shaping of the donor area (usually the stomach or thighs). This fat is immediately purified, concentrated and re-injected into whichever part of the breast is deficient in volume. This technology truly allows the plastic surgeon the ability to customize and inject the exact amount required for each breast and in the exact areas needed. Further touch-ups can be done if patients request for more.

Some people have expressed concern that the fat may mimic changes seen in breast cancer on X-rays/mammogram but it is important to understand that the fat is only injected around and beneath the breast and not into the glandular tissue so this confusion should not arise.