Autologous Fat Transfer: Hope for High Breast Cancer Risk

If you have a family history of breast cancer, or you’ve just found out you have the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene, there is hope. You can lose the majority of your risk for developing breast cancer without losing your breasts.

With a nipple-sparing preventative double mastectomy and autologous fat transfer to the breasts (natural breast reconstruction), you can remove the areas of your breasts where cancer originates and replace it with your own natural fatty tissue to leave you with beautiful, healthy breasts.

How Preventative Double Mastectomy and Breast Reconstruction Saves Lives

Breast cancer most often develops in the breast duct tissue. With a nipple-sparing preventative double mastectomy, this ductal tissue is removed, which eliminates the place where cancer usually begins.

What’s great about this preventative procedure is that it doesn’t affect the skin, nipple, or fatty tissue in your breasts. However, after duct tissue removal, women can restore the appearance of their breasts by deciding to have natural breast reconstruction using the layered autologous fat transfer technique.

To utilize this technique, during the duct tissue removal procedure liposuction is performed. This is the extraction of unwanted, excess fat from common trouble areas such as the abdomen, inner thigh and hips. Once the fat is collected, it is sent to our FDA registered facility to be processed and cryogenically preserved. It is then available for autologous fat transfer in stages, also referred to as a layered fat transfer to the breasts.

ATGRAFT Storage and Fat Transfer for Natural Breast Reconstruction

Fat collected from liposuction is sent to our American CryoStem laboratory and storage facility, as part of our ATGRAFT tissue storage program. Once received, the fat is processed and purified. It is then stored in cryogenic storage tanks.

A few weeks after the preventative double mastectomy, you will make an appointment with your doctor to receive your first autologous fat transfer. This is a simple process in which you’ll receive a local anesthetic to eliminate discomfort from the fat injections.

Your plastic surgeon will inject between 100 cc to 125 cc of your harvested fat tissue into each breast. You’ll need to return every three months or so to have more fat tissue grafted into your breasts until you’re satisfied with their shape and size.

Moving Forward with Healthier Breasts

Finding out you are at high risk for breast cancer shouldn’t feel like an impending death sentence. You can potentially save your life by removing your breast duct tissue where cancer usually starts, and have your breasts reconstructed with layered autologous fat transfer.

Just think of the peace of mind you could have knowing that, going forward, breast cancer is highly unlikely for you. Many women who choose this preventative procedure are happy standing in front of a mirror admiring naturally-reconstructed breasts that are no longer posing a threat to their future health. The bonus is that this process also allows them to look and feel as beautiful as they were before the procedure.

Contact American CryoStem today at 866-519-3554 for more information about the ATGRAFT tissue storage program and to find an enrolled provider in your area.

Blog post written by John DiFolco.