Raising the age limit for breast lipofiling

Represented as both a significant breakthrough in cosmetic surgery of a very promising use and completely natural way to fill depressions or insufficient volumes to recreate the entire body including the buttocks, face and calves, the process of the fat tissue graft has also proven its efficacy and safety in breast augmentation.

A useful surgical progress in the transfer of fat tissue, the lipofiling surgical technique or breasts lipomodelage with autologous fat, now seems a reliable and definitive alternative to breast augmentation by prosthesis. Beyond its efficiency, it is now time to develop this type of method to analyze deeply, judging from its guarantee on the breasts, which may in no case be at risk for breast cancer.

Based on a range of scientific research and clinical studies on the technical fat transfer in the breast, the French society of plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic "the SOF.CPRE" agreed with recommendation from November 2011, the practice of breast lipofiling or (lipostructure) under certain conditions. Thus, it still considers that the risk of breast cancer increased by fat injection was absolutely thin and nonexistent. The final opinion was validated by the HAS (Haute Autorité de Santé) in January 2015.


In addition, to date, no scientific reference establishes a clear relationship between fat transfer and the advent of breast cancer, but that does not stop taking the maximum precautions to reduce any complication.

To delineate the risks of breast cancer in patients who received a fat transfer the SOF.CPRE has implemented some recommendations and some criteria for a woman to be a candidate for this procedure. Indeed breast augmentation technique by fat transfer is restricted only to women under 35 years without presenting a personal or family history of breast cancer. This limitation was justified by the impact of this solution on the credibility of the clinical and radiological detection of breast cancer since lipofilling can cause small calcifications, which make them more difficult to decipher radiological images. As with any surgery, a preoperative radiological examination of the breasts (breast ultrasound and mammography) is essential, including (or RCA1 ACR2) is required to perform this type of cosmetic procedure.

 A year after the use of a breast lipofiling, the patient agrees to both perform an imaging reference and test and to undergo constant medical supervision. Similarly, for a fat transfer, the patient must maintain adequate fat reserves, so this cosmetic procedure is prohibited for women too thin and never having excess fat.

In line with existing recommendations of the SOF.CPRE and subject to full compliance with the requirements of use of this technique, execution conditions provided by the professional part of this work and the implementation of monitoring the operated patients, the HAS believes that autologous adipose tissue is a possible surgical technique in reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. In 2015, the High Authority for Health (HAS) affirmed that there is no longer an age restriction to perform a breast lipofiling.

Therefore, breast fat transfer is authorized immediately to all women regardless of their age. As a precaution, the same source said that this type of intervention is not intended for the woman who has a family history of breast cancer or ovarian cancer.

Fat transfer is greatly prized in women attempting to increase the volume of their breasts without using any cosmetic surgery or have a foreign body yet with very convincing results. Therefore, the age limit is only a good deal for many women who wish to opt for this surgical discipline.