My daughter is 17 and she would like to take the fat from her stomach and move it to her hips and take some of the fat from her thighs and move it to her breasts. If I give her consent as her mother does she qualify for this procedure?
Amber- I think this is a case by case type of thing. Yes, if a parent provides consent then surgery is legal, but elective cosmetic surgery is a grey territory where some PS may not feel that permanent changes should be made at such a young age. I have operated on teenage girls in my practice several times, but again I take it case by case.
Amber,
The concept of liposuction and fat transfer to augment breasts and improve a woman's shape is turning out to be a procedure that is revolutionizing body contouring surgery. It provides a natural alternative to breast implants for many women with a favorable risk of problems. If you pursue a consultation you might want to look into an enhanced form of fat transfer called Cell Assisted Lipotransfer or CAL.
The issue of surgical timing is an individual one, as Dr Sato said above, it's best dealt with during a consultation. Good luck.
Generally for thin patients, the amount of fat needed to do primary augmentation is not sufficient and may require more than one session. So this depends on the amount of augmentation needed and the amount of fat available. Using fat for augmenting other areas is a good solution. This has the dual effect of contouring the area that the fat is harvested from as in lipo contouring and also has the potential to improve another area of deficiency.
The age is a matter where it would need to be discussed with the parents, see the maturity level of the patient, and also the long term goals and life choices of the patient. At this age, the reproductive life cycle, the weight gain and loss possiblities etc. will have to be discussed carefully as these physiological changes may affect the outcome.
If your daughter is still considered a minor, she will need permission from you as well for consent for the procedure. You would absolutely have to be seen in person and a discussion with both you and your daughter would be performed so that she could be evaluated for the procedure and to make sure that she is mature enough and has an understanding of the procedure before moving forward. In general I don’t usually use fat for primary breast augmentation. I prefer implants because they provide a more reliably consistent results.
Hello and thank you for your excellent question. Provided that both the patient and the parent consent to the procedure, there are not any issues to having this procedure performed. It is best to answer your question during a face-to-face evaluation, when you can discuss your goals and expectations for the procedure, and you can have a physical examination to evaluate for that procedure. I recommend that you find a board-certified, or board-eligible plastic surgeon with whom you are comfortable. Be sure to have all of your questions answered during a face-to-face meeting with your surgeon, and review before and after pictures of similar patients whom have had this procedure. If you have any questions, call our office for assistance. Good luck!