How Much Breast Size Increase Can I Get With Fat Injections?

Q: I have read about fat injections to the breast but am concerned that it won’t give me enough of a cup increase. In my reading it says that the average increase in volume is around 100cc. Is that only a 1/2 cup increase. I have also read that an external suction device can be used with fat injections to get a better result, is this a hoax?

A: A 100 to 200 ml improvement in breast size for most women (depends on what they have to start with and how wide their breast base diameter is) will only be a 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup at best. You have to remember that much of fat breast augmentation work currently comes from Japan where small breasts (B cup) is the desired size by their cultural standards. That is why fat injections may be more ‘successful’ in this population. In the American population, such small breast size increases would not be considered enough. I have never placed a breast implant that was 200ml or smaller. Occasionally a 250ml to 275ml breast implant may be used but this is very uncommon. Most American breast augmentations are in the 300 to 375cc range.

The concept of external suction on the breasts to increase breast size is not a hoax. It is an actual device known as the Brava system. It has been shown to increase breast in the range of a 1/2 cup or more. The theoretical science is that pulling on the breast tissue stimulates fat or stem cell replication or growth. It is currently being studied in combination with fat injections to the breast. Combining the two makes biologic sense and I would suspect that their combined use is better than either one alone.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana