Fat grafting replacing traditional breast implants

More and more women like Chrissy Teigen and Bachelorette Clare Crawley are claiming their breast implants are making them sick and want them removed. Plastic surgeons are now using a patient’s own fat to rebuild their breast.

For Liz Lugo, her beauty promotes her brand. But when she felt her breast implants were hurting her health, she needed natural options to replace them.

“I wanted to have something. I wanted to still feel like a woman. I still wanted to wear cute stuff,” shared Lugo.

So, Dr. Joshua Lampert, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon out of Miami suggested fat grafting. That requires taking fat from her thighs with liposuction to fill the void left behind when the breast implants were removed.

“You can borrow from Peter to pay Paul and overall make the patient happier. Fat is a better way to sculpt the body,” explained Dr. Lampert.

Using liposuction, the fat is removed and is then transferred to the breast. Only the patient’s fat can be used for the procedure. For the first time in her life, Lugo wishes she had more fat.

“I was worried how they would look aesthetically, of course, because I’m used to be double D’s. Now, I am barely a B cup. But my health came first,” said Lugo.

It’s been three months since the surgery and Lugo says she feels better than ever.

“What’s great about fat grafting is it gives us one more tool. If I can’t put a breast implant back in, how am I gonna make this breast look good?” continued Dr. Lampert.

“Fat grafting is an option that you can do, and I’m super happy with the results,” smiled Lugo.

After fat grafting, 30 percent of the fat is reabsorbed into the body. The remaining fat will remain permanently and behave like any other fat in the body.

Contributors to this news report include: Neki Mohan, Producer; Roque Correa, Editor; and Judy Reich, Videographer.