Italiano
Breast lipofilling
What is Breast Lipofilling Surgery?
The word lipofilling, in English, means filling with fat.
This term refers to all surgical procedures that involve taking autologous adipose tissue from areas of the body where it is particularly abundant (abdomen, hips, thighs, etc.), purifying it from the blood, and then injecting it into the breast in order to restore its volume or correct its shape.
This technique does not interfere in any way with oncological screening examinations that patients have to undergo from the age of 45 onwards.
This technique allows modest increases in volume and is therefore reserved for slightly emptied breasts or small increases in volume.
- Who and when to operate?
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Candidate patients for this technique are female patients aged between 40 and 60 years suffering from slight loss of breast trophism due to various causes:
- Progressive weight loss
- Emptied breasts following pregnancies
- Breast reduction due to oncological causes (lumpectomies or quadrantectomies)
- Correction of breast shape even in prosthesis wearers
The operation can be performed throughout the year with a surprisingly fast clinical recovery.
- How does the pre-operative examination take place and what are the examinations prior to surgery?
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The purpose of the preoperative visit is to assess the clinical situation and agree with the patient on the areas to be treated and the desired breast volume, as well as to identify the areas where excess fat tissue can be removed.
It should be borne in mind that this technique allows modest increases in volume and is therefore reserved for slightly emptied breasts or small increases in volume.
In order to rule out pre-existing pathologies in the patient, it is advisable to perform, in addition to the routine examinations for all surgical procedures (blood count, coagulation balance and ECG), the following examination- ultrasound or mammography of the breast
The patient is advised not to take any anticoagulant drugs (aspirin, excessive vitamin C, contraceptives, etc.) in the 10 days preceding surgery.
- What does breast lipofilling surgery consist of?
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The procedure can be performed under local anaesthesia combined with sedation or under general anaesthesia depending on the amount of fat tissue harvested.
Adipose tissue is harvested by means of fine canulae placed under suction through small incisions of about 2-3 mm in the skin of the harvested areas.
The most common harvesting areas are:- Hips
- Abdomen
- Thighs
- Inner knees
The harvested tissue is commonly 'filtered' using various techniques and once separated from the serum component injected into the previously identified areas of the breast.
The procedure lasts between 60 and 90 minutes with a short outpatient stay.
- What will be the postoperative course?
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The post-operative phase of lipofilling is generally quick and painless, characterised by slight oedema and a few haematomas that, if present, disappear about 7 days after the operation.
Rest for 12 hours is recommended with complete resumption of normal life from the second day.