WOMEN are to be offered “natural” breast enlargements, using unwanted fat from their thighs, stomach or other areas, within a few months.

The technique, which has been under trial in Britain and the US, is being hailed as a “two-in-one op” because excess fat is extracted where it is not wanted and “relocated” to the bust. Doctors believe it will bring several benefits, including more natural shape and feel to augmented breasts. No synthetic implants are needed.

Mel Braham, chairman of the Harley Medical Group, a chain of 26 cosmetic surgery clinics that will offer the technique, said: “This is the most exciting breakthrough in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery that I have seen over the last two decades. It amounts to two beneficial procedures in one — taking unwanted fat from one or two areas of a patient’s body and transferring it to the breast area.”

More than 2,500 women have already registered with the clinics to receive information about the operation, which will become commercially available in Britain early next year. The operation will cost about £8,000.

The procedure is of such interest that it will be high on the agenda at the annual meeting of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) this week. Doctors believe the technique will avoid the problems associated with some artificial implants, which can harden and change shape and may need to be replaced. Scarring can also form in the surrounding tissue.

Braham believes the new “natural” breast augmentations will become more popular than implants over the next decade. “Within 10 years, breast enhancement, through fat relocation, will dominate the breast enlargement market,” he said.

“Patients who are happy with their body shape, apart from the breast area, or those with low body fat, will still opt for traditional breast enlargement with the use of implants.”

Trials of the new operation have found that the improvements are lasting, with the fat remaining in place. According to Zdenek Pros, one of the surgeons who will be carrying out the operations, breasts enlarged through fat redistribution also have aesthetic advantages. “Natural breast enlargement using fat grafting, in addition to increasing the size of the breast, has a more natural look and feel,” said Pros.

“This type of augmentation technique is very effective in enabling surgeons to shape the breast and achieve smooth, natural-looking contours.”

Surgeons say an increase of up to three cup sizes can be achieved by the redistribution of body fat.

A 34-year-old woman from Northampton had fat removed from her waist and transplanted to her breasts four years ago as part of the British pilot study by the Harley Medical Group. The woman, who did not want to be named, said: “I would never have considered having a breast implant, but a natural way of increasing my bust size was like a dream come true.

“I wanted a very natural increase of just one and a half cup sizes, which returned my breasts to their pre-childbirth form. Getting rid of my muffin top [fat around the waist] and getting my breasts back in one operation was incredible.”

British doctors are also studying growing breast tissue using stem cells extracted from a woman’s own fat. A study of the procedure will begin shortly at the London Breast Institute at the Princess Grace hospital.

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