Breast Fat Grafting

Breast Fat GraftingBreast fat grafting, also known as fat transfer, lipofilling or lipomodelling, involves transferring fat from one part of the body to the breasts. Mr Karri often sees women who want to enhance their bust but are not keen on implants. For such women, fat grafting is a good option that can produce a small to moderate enhancement. Women who want a significant enhancement of their bust achieve a better result with implants.

Breast fat grafting can also be performed for;

• Restoring breast volume after removal of an implant, in the treatment of capsular contracture
• Breast or lumpectomy reconstruction, following breast cancer treatment
• Implant-related problems like rippling or wrinkling
• Improving the appearance of existing breast implants, by increasing the soft-tissue layer covering the implant

Benefits Of Breast Fat Grafting

Natural breast enlargement with fat offers a number of advantages over breast enlargement with implants. The breasts have a soft, natural feel, the procedure is minimally-invasive and has reduced recovery time. Furthermore, the problems specific to implants, such as capsular contracture and rupture, are avoided.

As fat is removed from areas of excess, women can also benefit from the resulting body contouring.

For those women who want a larger increase in breast size, enlargement with implants is more appropriate. Mr Karri has considerable experience with both breast implants and fat grafting and will discuss the best option for you.

Breast fat grafting is not new; it has been performed since the 1980s.

Breast fat grafting first begins with harvesting fat from a specific area of the body. Mr Karri typically removes excess fat from the thighs, hips and abdomen using the Bodyjet system. This water-assisted liposuction technology gently removes fat, so the fat cells are less damaged and more likely to survive when injected into the breast.

Following fat harvest, Mr Karri gently injects the breasts through very small incisions. Minimal dressings are used and patients can return home the same day.

The entire procedure is performed under local anaesthetic with sedation, thereby ensuring comfort and quick recovery.

Breast fat grafting is well suited to women who are seeking a slight enlargement or who want to reshape the breasts. You will notice an immediate improvement in the size, shape, and projection of your breasts. Some amount of fat may be absorbed by the body, so you may require additional treatment sessions to achieve and maintain your desired results. Any further surgery is charged as set out in our Revision Surgery Policy.

As with all surgical procedures, breast fat grafting has risks that should be considered before a decision on treatment is made. Risks include;

Scars / poor scarring

Infection

Excessive bleeding / haematoma

Asymmetry

Loss of volume (not all the fat may survive)

Donor site irregularities

Collection of fluid (seroma)

Blood clots (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism)

Fat necrosis: some grafted fat can form firm lumps or oil cysts, which may need scans or, rarely, a biopsy, and can show up on later breast screening

Risks of anaesthesia (local with sedation, or general)

Medically reviewed by

Mr Vasu Karri

BSc(Hons), MBBS, MRCS, MSc, FRCS(Plast)
Consultant Plastic Surgeon

Last updated 30th September 2026

Related Procedures

Breast Enlargement

Enhances the size and shape of a woman's breasts.

Breast Lift

Also known as mastopexy, corrects the appearance of sagging, deflated breasts.

Capsular Contracture Surgery

For some women, capsular contracture can be corrected with implant removal and fat grafting.

Breast Asymmetry Surgery

Correction of a breast deformity can have a profound positive impact on psychological wellbeing and sexuality.