“Lipomodeling now backed by health insurance makes it possible to find breasts with a natural look”. In a press release, the French Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (SOFCEP) recalls on the occasion of Pink October that fat transfers are now reimbursed as part of breast reconstruction.

Where does this technology come from?

Introduced in the 1990s, fat transfer (also called lipomodelling, lipofilling or adipose tissue autografting) primarily deals with the face to help AIDS patients. The technique was made possible by the work of New York plastic surgeon Sidney Coleman who was the first to design and standardize the procedure. Beginning in 1998, the work of Dr. Emmanuel Dele, chief of plastic surgery at the Leon Berard Anti-Cancer Center, has enabled lipomodeling to be adapted to the breast.

Since January 2015, the Higher Authority of Health has validated its use for breasts. And since October 1, 2017, only within the framework of reconstructive surgery, lipomodeling can be covered by health insurance with a new code for this intervention, which it calls CKAM (General Classification of Medical Acts). “Autologous adipose tissue”.

“Lipomodeling has revolutionized breast reconstruction”

“This treatment is limited to breast reconstruction, a sequence of conservative treatment, cases of significant asymmetry and malformation syndromes such as tuberous breast or Polande syndrome”, Specify surgeons.

They conclude: “Lipomodeling has revolutionized breast reconstruction, particularly in conservative treatment of breast cancer and malignancies followed by reconstructive surgery”.