Fat Grafting, pros and cons
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I had my surgery yesterday. They gave me an abdominal binder which was very uncomfortable and one of sites drained all over it. I bought 2 spanx..the ones that go from mid thigh to right below my breasts. I bought a size bigger than I might have normally knowing I'd be in some pain. Glad I did. It's doing the job. Just wish the crotch cut out was bigger because it's so hard to roll them down. May be doing some modifications there.
The nurse during my preop said she could measure me and I could order medical garments, but that it was cheaper to get the spanx
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He just said abdominal. He said he would send me home in a medical compression garment, but that I could get Spanx too. I was just wondering about how high they should be and what kind of crotch (like mentioned above) would be easiest. And yes, do I get my regular size or something bigger?
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I purchased two different garments for abdominal donor site - one that was a high waist panty with a snap crotch, I believe Maidenform makes one, but I can't find one online, and one that is full torso style, snap crotch but without compression over the chest, like this one:
This could work too! Also, eliminates the whole snap crotch problem!
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About compression garments:I had fat grafting and exchange july22. I have the high waist spanx power panty and I bought some high waist snap crotch panty type at Walmart too. The surgeon sent me home in a Velcro type abdominal binder. I was sore and bruised but mostly hurt when getting up and down. The spanx are interesting to get on . Roll them up and get them up to your upper thigh and then negotiate the rest ! The opening works ok for urinating but for bm you better pull it down💩(. Which takes a while ) I've been sluggish on that since surgery but that opening isn't very big and more toward front ! Sorry if TMi😘 I alternate the three so I can wash them.
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Jcs-- that crotch you speak of----not good. That's the one I have. Trying maneuver that is impossible, especially when you're in pain bending over. I peed all over myself! Gonna cut the crotch out.
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bethL - I agree - I had one with the open gusset crotch - I would have needed to be a circus acrobat for that to be effective, that is why I recommend the snap type, or the long camisole type I linked above.
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Thanks again, ladies! I think the open camisole looks comfortable, but won't it roll up? I imagine I'll mostly be sitting on the couch or in bed for a week or so. I don't want it rolling up or making me more uncomfortable b/c it won't stay in place.
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JCS28 - I actually found the easiest one to wear the one piece body suit with the open bust and snap crotch. I came home from the hospital in a binder with velcro that went from under the bust to the hips - my issue was both the rolling from the bottom, and that I am shorter-waisted than the binder was so it would creep up and rub me in the IMF incisions and chafe too high. I would recommend moving around in your house as much as you can - just like muscles seem more sore after a hard workout if you remain stationary, but loosen up if you move around. Also, I got good bruising relief from topical Arnica cream/gel.
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went to target and got the one piece with open chest, and snap crotch. Thank you everyone for the suggestions!
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Question...I can definitely see where the fat grafting has helped my chest look more natural already. I havevertical incisions, and where the nipples would be, it looks flat. Not to my chest but it's like there's this nice slope and then a cut off where it drops off and is missing just a little projection. I read all the time where projection is an issue but this looks like if he just injected a little fat right at the would be nipple area that it would look good. Does this make sense? And if so, anyone had fat placed there?
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Hi,
I have had two fat grafting surgeries this year. I am hoping to reconstruct a small, normal-ish looking breast with fat grafting. This is happening as delayed reconstruction due to another issue found during my breast cancer workup. I had neoaduvent chemo followed by a nipple/skin sparing uni mx. The first fat graft surgery was almost like a test run, with grafting done to improve or help heal my skin. My second surgery was at the end of July. I used Brava for expansion, and that was the easiest part of this for me. My PS did a RAFT suture, and I have been struggling with pain and mobility of my arm and torso in general since. It felt extremely tight, making even breathing difficult and extremely painful. It is improving and feeling much less tight and constrictive, but after 3 weeks and almost 2 days, the painful spasms that I feel when trying to do PT exercises and stretches are still overwhelmingly painful. Does anyone else have any experience with this? My abdomen is improving, my chest is not improving as quickly. Any insights would be appreciated. I am/was a physically fit person who loves my yoga, kayaking, and other activities that require strong, stretchy arms, shoulder girdle, chest. Also, can a reconstructed breast with bunchy skin with small but tight-ish creases ever smooth out and not look raisin-like? (I saw this description on another thread for TEs. It fits perfectly). I'm having trouble with my tablet. Please forgive writing weirdnesses and typos. Thank you.
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How much of your fat grafting do you think was retained?
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I think half of my fat graft stayed.
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I tend to keep at least 75% with all four grafts being consistent. The 2nd and 3rd grafts were much smaller and done to the flat left side prior to trying a new expander last December. Those grafts were six months apart. I apparently have super obedient fat.
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Those sound like very good results. I had my fat transfer along with my exchange surgery. I feel like it has taken better to one breast! I hope I have enough fat for a second graft if I need it.
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Hi
I will be going in for my first fat graft.
I just had a few questions:
Once you have the fat graft, how long before you know if the fat took?
They say one week off from work, but how longuntil soreness and bruising is actually gone?
If you need another fat graft, how long do you have to wait in between surgeries?
Thanks so much
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cedes, It really does spends on how much fat your surgeon is taking out. I took off two weeks. My surgeon grafted 400 cc of fat from my inner thighs. He said he had to treat it like a cosmetic proceedure(removing as much as possible while retaining a nice result) because I have such little body fat. I'm still wearing compression hose for the next month or so and I had surgery Aug. 4. Mine was very tough. I'm 6 weeks out and I have lost a third so far. Keep in mind that you will be swollen after surgery so swelling doesn't count! I had no pain or bruising in my breast, but my thighs were a mess. I still have some swelling in the thighs, but most of it was manageable after a month. My PS will graft again in 6 months if we can find enough fat. I lost 6 lbs since my graft and I'm working on gaining it back
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suz q, thanks so much for the reply! I appreciate it very much
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Hi cedee,
I just booked my refill surgery for February 13. I decided to take off a total of 8 work days, about a week and a half this time around. Good luck to you! Keep us posted!
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Tomorrow I'm going in for fat grafting # 2. Quick question in case one of you ladies knows - can the PS go through the same incisions he did the first time, or do they always go through new entry points?
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Don't know if it is the norm, but my PS went through the same incisions the second time
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Thanks, BayouBabe. I'm hoping this will be my case.
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mine went through the same too
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Thank you, Stefajoy. That might be the standard then.
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Apparently if fat grafting is in my future, and it may be (had exchange three weeks ago and still letting things settle), I am supposed to gain weight. Did anyone have to gain weight first and if so how much? My PS's PA said she thought 10-15 pounds and I was so shocked I decided not to even mention it to my PS. Maybe I don't understand how this works or how much they need. Help!
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Paxton29, Keep your weight stable. Do not gain weight. I'm quite thin and my PS got enough fat. Realself.com is a great place to explore fat grafting
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Paxton - for most fat grafting not very much fat is harvested - only as much as is needed for correction as any more creates issues with insurance if they suspect a cosmetic procedure they can deny payment. The amount of fat removed would certainly not be equivalent to the amount of weight you were told you should gain. You have no guarantee that any gain will end up in a usable area either. I have had fat taken from upper and lower abdomen, lower back, hips/flanks over the course of four different fat graft surgeries - it is surprising how much they can find. Do you have a large defect or area that they are looking to fill with a graft, or a relatively mild correction that needs to happen? It may be that the PA is saying a weight gain would be easier for harvest, but I would discuss with your surgeon.
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Thanks for the information. I don't think I have a large defect. There is a divot that I think may be what they're thinking about but it's not huge. Also they had to use different size implants because the TE on the left had created more space, so he tells me I'm challenging. She did ask me where I tend to gain weight and when I said my stomach she said that was an easier spot to harvest. I'll talk to the surgeon next time, I guess, but am not in any particular rush. At the moment I'm just so happy to be rid of the TEs!
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Paxton - the lower abdomen is probably the most common harvest location, and easiest to compress after surgery, and my initial PS who did the first two FG liked it best because he indicated he gets the best aesthetic result at the donor site using fat from there. If you have a small divot they won't have to take much at all, so I would not worry too much about gaining weight. I also had two different size implants, initially at first exchange they differed by 100ccs, now with the ones I have they differ by less than that. Glad you are feeling more comfy without TE's!
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