Is Natural Breast Augmentation Reliable and Safe?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in a natural breast augmentation that will last and hopefully not need to be redone repeatedly. Also, I can not support stem cell enriched augmentation if the source of such cells is from aborted babies. Is this the only source? What is being done such as in other countries?  I am also wondering about the possible risk of cancer cells growing from such a procedure. The only info I could find about that seemed to be related to women who had the procedure following a lumpectomy or mastectomy.

Do you recommend the fat transfer procedures? I am not comfortable with the silicone or saline options because of the risks.

I am very small busted and have breast fed many children and now have nearly nothing left.I was small to begin with and now that my last baby is weaned, it is quite different than lactating. Thank you for the information.

A: What you are seeking in natural breast augmentation is the holy grail…natural, permanent, and does not involve an implant. By today’s techniques, you are seeking something that does not yet exist. Natural breast augmentation today uses one’s own fat that is processed and then injected and may have some viable stem cells in it. Besides having to have enough to fat to harvest and use, one has to accept the unpredictability of how much fat will survive and whether it survive smoothly without irregularites. There is also the risk that the procedure may have to be repeated depending upon how much fat survives during the first procedure. What is not known about fat transfer is if it increases the risk of breast cancer although this is believed to not be a concern.

While fat injection breast augmentation is done today and is becoming more mainstream, it is still restricted to a very few women who have the right physical qualifications for it. It is far from a breast augmentation technique that is perfected. For a reliable breast augmentation result that produces an immediate and predictable result, implants a much more reliable technique despite the limitations of being a medical device.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana