Re: Fat Grafting
 

Thanks (as always), Lani, for all the good information. It seems like the plastic surgeons have a bit of tunnel vision, reporting mostly on cosmetic results, while the oncologists are more cautious, advising we wait for more safety data (no increase in recurrence).

Here's a 2015 abstract:
Tissue-engineered breast reconstruction with brava-assisted fat grafting: a 7-year, 488-patient, multicenter experience

If anyone has access, it would be interesting to see the full text. For example, I'm curious about the details of the cancers in the study (stage, etc). There is also a discussion piece on this article that isn't visible without subscription, and I'd love to see that. With a mean follow up of 2.5 years, this study is one of the longest I've seen -- other studies concluded it's "safe", with only 6 months of F/U, which seems a little hasty, to me.

Debbie Laxague

Re: Fat Grafting
 

Fwiw, my surgeon does do fat grafting and I have two friends who had it done with different surgeons at UCSF. Both said that the liposuction was very painful. One friend kept telling me that I should do it as it would make for a smoother look. However, one year out, she admits that she thinks all of the fat has reabsorbed and it wasn't worth it. The other friend said it wasn't worth it from the start.

My surgeon said he didn't think it would be worth it for me as he felt the aesthetic outcome would be almost the same. I appreciated his honesty and was actually relieved not to have the liposuction. I'm relatively small (5'4'' and about 125 lbs) and I think he was concerned about the amount he would be able to transfer. I also had radiation on one side, which could have made it a bit tricky.

I'm very happy with the result of my implant exchange. They look really good in a tee shirt and I can wear a bathing suit and look good too.

Good luck with your decision.

Kathryn

Re: Fat Grafting
 

Hi Shar

just wanted to see if you had any luck or hopefully any updates with your search.
been doing my research over the fast few months and have learned alot.

I called miami breast center and from what i understand Brava is only needed because the fat stem cells are not 'processed' in the lab or something like that. The processing of stem cells are not allowed in the us which is really disappointing. For reconstructive purposes i think it should be legal but that is a political discussion i guess.

So im looking outside the us and have found a clinic in Austria and Thailand that offer what i want. The problem is i dont even have a passport dont really travel. A drive to canada is possible i guess but im not sure if they have it. Do you?

Im hoping you or someone else has a better alternative. Any suggestions?