Alternative and Supporting Techniques in Breast Augmentation

Breast augmentation procedures involve placing bags of either saline or silicone inside the breasts to make them fuller in shape and larger. The type of implant to use and the placement in relation to the chest muscles will depend on the needs and medical history of the patient.

Tissue Expanders In Breast Augmentation

Tissue expansion has been a standard procedure for reconstructive surgery. Injuries and congenital defects can be fixed using tissue expanders for bone reconstruction and skin expansion.

Enhancement of the jawbone structure for mandibular reconstruction, lengthening of the bones for added height, or eliminating scars and alopecia defects for scalp reconstruction require an arduous and painful process of tissue expansion before surgery is done on the patient.

Patients who have had mastectomy may need tissue expansion before surgery. Because they have less tissue available in the breast area, mastectomy patients will need tissue expanders to make room for breast implants.

The new BRAVA system expands breast tissue naturally. The new system uses vacuum cups over the breasts to exert pressure on the tissue. This encourages natural tissue growth in the breasts over a certain period, which is at least 10 hours a day for about 10 to 16 weeks.

The domes are made of silicone and may produce skin reactions from women allergic to silicone. They also cause dermatitis when the domes are not cleaned thoroughly. Nevertheless, the results are real and natural enlargement of the breasts. Side effects associated with breast implants are avoided.

Autologous Fat Injection In Breast Augmentation

However, there are instances when a simple silicone or saline breast implant is not enough to produce that nice jiggling and shifting of breasts when the woman moves, bends over, or lies down. Additional tissue is needed to simulate glandular animation.

A new alternative breast augmentation technique uses two cosmetic surgery techniques to add volume to the breast area. It uses liposuction to get rid of body fat and then fat injection to the breast area.

To prepare the area for autologous fat injection, the new BRAVA system is used to expand skin tissue and hypervascularize the area. This extends the life of the fat injected and increases graft survival rate to ninety percent.

Producing Breast Tissue For Breast Augmentation

A new technique being developed in Japan uses stem cells from fat to build breast tissue naturally. The stem cells grown from fat cells are injected into breast tissue to encourage additional growth.

The new technique is more natural and safer because the fat cells came from the woman’s own body. The stem cells will lead to the formation of new fat cells and coax blood vessels to grow into new breast tissue and nurture it.

This new technique will solve the problem of shrinking from the use of autologous fat injection in breast augmentation. As of now, breast tissue expansion is the only alternative breast augmentation technique used in concert with fat injection.

Autologous fat injection used in concert with the BRAVA system is right for women with excess fat to spare. Just the BRAVA system is right for those with more breast tissue than slender patients do. However, breast implants using either silicone or saline solutions are still the right choice for most women who have small or sagging breasts.