Demand for breast implant alternative
Plastic surgeon thinks artificial implants are toast
A growing number of New Zealand women are having breast surgery that uses fat from their bodies rather than implants.
The patients include women who want their implants removed, those who have lost tissue after multiple pregnancies, and women diagnosed with breast cancer
Whangarei- based plastic surgeon David Crabb began offering the surgery — known as large volume fat transfer — about five years ago. He says he has operated on “hundreds” of women at his Whangarei and Warkworth surgeries.
More people were turning to the surgery, which is more common overseas, as word of its benefits spread.
“It’s what the people want . . . it’s definitely the treatment of choice for people intolerant to implants. [ And] it’s much safer . . . I think implants are toast. I don’t use implants and I wouldn’t recommend them. I certainly wouldn’t let anyone in my family have them.”
Implants had caused concern with reports of painful ruptures.
There was also the “small risk” of developing a lymphatic cancer known as giant cell lymphoma, Crabb said. “It’s important not to panic people but it is fair to say it’s causing concern.”
Overseas media have reported concerns the lymphoma may be linked to textured breast implants, as opposed to smooth ones.
US media also reported this week that the Food and Drug Administration had published a report this year linking a rare cancer to the implants.
Crabb, who has been a plastic surgeon for more than 30 years, said a major benefit for patients is the much faster recovery time.
The new breast went soft in about six weeks, allowing the recipient to lie on her front, and looked “completely natural”. In contrast, implants often became permanently uncomfortable for recipients, he said.
The cost of the surgery in New Zealand depends on the individual circumstances of each patient, with some needing more than one operation. Some health insurers paid, but he had done some publicly funded operations. He was unsure which district health boards offered the surgery to patients.
One of Crabb’s patients, Deborah Connors, i s among New Zealand women who have had their implants removed and replaced with fat cells.
The 59- year- old received implants in the United Kingdom in 2004, but later found out the implants were manufactured by a French company which used unapproved silicone filler. Suffering joint pain and rheumatic problems some medical professionals thought may be related to the implants, the Whangaparaoa woman began saving to have the implants removed.
“Once you’ve got the wrong thing in you, it’s just in the back of your mind. You just want them out.”
Her single surgery took place two years ago and cost $ 25,000. While there was pain afterwards, she was fine after a couple of weeks and her pre- existing pain had disappeared.
“It’s just so nice and you have . . . peace of mind. You know that all your body is your own.”
Upper Hutt woman Rachel Jacobson has also undergone Crabb’s pioneering surgery.
The mum- of- four had a single mastectomy, with an implant later, after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. But the implant never looked right, caused her ongoing pain and left her feeling like she had the flu all the time.
She began researching an alternative, found Crabb and eventually underwent three surgeries to complete the implant removal and reconstruction.
“It’s painful, but it’s a quick recovery.”
Her surgeries were covered by her health insurer, except for about $ 6000 in excesses, and had changed her life, Jacobson said.
A Ministry of Heath spokesman said breast reconstruction surgery was performed in the public sector and mostly by plastic surgeons.
Access to care was determined based on a patient’s clinical priority, which focused on their level of clinical need and ability to benefit from the procedure. Clinical practice and techniques were overseen by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons, he said.