KFDA - NewsChannel 10 / Amarillo, TX: newschannel10.comFat Transfer Not For Breasts, Doctors Say

Fat Transfer Not For Breasts, Doctors Say

By Megan Moore
NewsChannel 10

Amarillo, Texas - Getting a certain kind of breast augmentation is not possible in area doctors' offices, but they say the reason why has everything to do with your health.

Fat transfer has been around for a while, but it is gaining momentum as a way to enlarge the breasts with a more natural look than implants.  It also is becoming the alternative to facelift surgery and is used to plump the lips.

But one local doctor we spoke with says as far as breast augmentation goes, it is not an option for his patients.  That is because the bits of transferred fat could masquerade as a tumor or something else.

Dr. Patrick Proffer says, "they can form cysts, and just areas of irregularity that will often times require unnecessary and costly and not needed work up to assess what those areas actually are."

Another issue with the breast enhancing procedure is the lack of information from one doctor to another, especially since "in today's world where people move around frequently, there's not a lot of good communication between the radiologist doing that mammogram and a surgeon doing the procedure and it may lead to unnecessary procedures," Proffer says.

We also spoke with other doctors who agree with Dr. Proffer.  But fat transfer is sometimes used in breast reconstruction after cancer, but only in certain cases.  Dr. Proffer says he will do it in those cases if it is a very small area that needs to be fixed.