Breast Augmentation With Implants or Fat: Plastic Surgeon Compares

Dr. Sandeep Jejurikar, a plastic surgeon specializing in breast augmentation in Hoffman Estates, IL, says either can be a good choice for certain patients.

Online PR News � 26-June-2016 – Dr. Sandeep Jejurikar (www.drjejurikar.com), a plastic surgeon in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, says the increasing popularity of using a patient’s own fat for breast augmentation is part of an overall trend of women wanting breast enhancement results that look natural.

“The ‘natural’ look is very popular right now,” Dr. Jejurikar says. “Patients want larger breasts, but they still want nice proportions. Breast augmentation with either fat or implants can accomplish that, but it depends on each woman’s body.”

Dr. Jejurikar offers both options at his Hoffman Estates and Downers Grove locations. Autologous fat grafting has a long history, but it has only become popular for the breasts recently. It involves harvesting fat from one area of a patient’s body through liposuction, purifying it, and using the healthy fat cells to augment or contour the breasts. In the past, fat was more commonly used as a facial filler or to enhance the results of facial plastic surgery.

As one of the few plastic surgeons specializing in fat transfer breast augmentation in the Chicago area, Dr. Jejurikar says breast implants and fat each offer unique benefits.

“I have used fat transfer for years, and that experience has led me to reach some conclusions about when it’s a good choice,” Dr. Jejurikar says. “Although fat can be an effective tool for breast enhancement, it is not always a perfect alternative to breast implants on its own.”

The latest generation of cohesive silicone gel breast implants, for example, includes anatomically shaped options that produce results that look more like the slope of natural breasts. Dr. Jejurikar says these “teardrop” implants may be the best choice for a patient who wants to enhance her breasts by 2 bra cup sizes or more while still maintaining a natural appearance.

Fat transfer breast augmentation, on the other hand, may be ideal for a woman who wants a modest increase in the size of her breasts — usually about a cup size — because only a limited amount of fat can be successfully transferred. Although these patients get less volume, Dr. Jejurikar says, they get the benefit of a permanent result and won’t need to worry about replacing their breast implants in the years ahead.

Dr. Jejurikar also notes that even for breast augmentation patients getting implants, he often uses their fat to soften the edges of the implants so they look and feel more like natural tissue.

“One approach isn’t better than the other for breast augmentation,” Dr. Jejurikar says. “What’s most important is for women considering the fat transfer technique to find a board-certified plastic surgeon with the experience needed to understand what procedure is best suited for each patient.

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Dr. Sandeep Jejurikar (www.drjejurikar.com) is a board-certified plastic surgeon who performs cosmetic and reconstructive surgery in suburban Chicago. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Michigan. After completing a 6-year residency at the University of Chicago Hospitals, he went on to complete 2 additional years of clinical fellowship training. He performs cosmetic procedures such as liposuction, tummy tuck, facelift and breast augmentation. He also performs reconstructive procedures such as breast reconstruction, scar revision, skin cancer treatment, burn reconstruction and hand surgery. He is past President of the Illinois Society of Plastic Surgeons and currently serves as Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, Illinois. Dr. Jejurikar is active in several other professional societies, including The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and American Society of Plastic Surgeons.