Safer way for breast implants
Lipo-modelling already being used here for cancer reconstruction.
Younger women in particular are keen to avoid potential long-term risks. Dr Michelle Locke
Breast implants could be on the way out with a revolutionary technique using body fat making its way to New Zealand.
French plastic surgeon Dr Emmanuel Delay visited Auckland last week to address specialists about a trending method dubbed lipomodelling.
Delay — who was the keynote speaker at this year’s combined conference of Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons and the New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons — said the procedure involved breast reconstruction or enlargement surgery that took fat cells from the stomach or thighs and injected them into the breast.
He said it was becoming increasingly popular in Europe as women were more cautious of avoiding long-term issues from implants such as ruptures or capsular contracture.
The Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority has also been monitoring cases of lymphatic cancer in women with fitted breast implants since 2011.
Auckland-based plastic surgeon Dr Michelle Locke said she was already starting to use lipo-modelling for women who had cancer removed from their breasts, but was yet to use it for women seeking breast enlargements for cosmetic reasons.
“One option for women with breast cancer is to take part of the lump out but most of the breast is still there, which is where we could use lipomodelling because you’re not recreating the whole breast.”
Locke said there was a previous concern that lipo-modelling made it difficult to detect cancers of the breast, but with radiology advances that was no longer an issue.
“There will always be a cohort of women who don’t want implants but want bigger breasts. Using your own tissue is a way that potentially might be a way to do that.”
She said New Zealand was waiting for more safety data and long-term outcomes before lipo-modelling became widely adopted.
“The short-term outcomes look really good. The long-term data is starting to become available.
“Five years ago I wasn’t using lipomodelling at all, implants was the only option so things have advanced hugely.”
Locke said women were becoming more informed about their options.
“Breast surgery patients are some of the most well researched patients I see. Younger women in particular are keen to avoid the potential longterm risks.”
One of the most common issues that occurred over time with implants was capsular contracture, where the internal scar tissue became tight and uncomfortable. In more severe cases the implant could rupture — risks that were prompting women to look at other options.
“While we have been performing fat transfer for breast reconstruction for many years in
New Zealand, the technique of lipomodelling in the aesthetic field is in its infancy here.”
She said costs differed from patient to patient.
“What seems to be the case is women who get lipo-modelling have it for life with no need for maintenance down the track so, long-term, it could be cheaper.” Meanwhile, former New Zealand model and social A-lister Nicola Robinson opens up in an interview to be broadcast on Sunday, TVNZ 1, tonight about her decision to have her breast implants removed. Robinson, formerly married to rich lister Eric Watson and now to celebrity chef Pete Evans, has joined global celebrities including Pamela Anderson and Victoria Beckham to have implants removed.