Developments in cosmetic surgery mean that an entirely natural breast enlargement using a patient’s own fat is now possible.

Ocean Clinic's Head Surgeon Dr. Kaye was among one of the first doctors to fully embrace the possibilities of fat grafting and has been using the technique to great acclaim for all manner of procedures, including breast augmentation.

Through his work, Dr. Kaye has attained impressive skill in the technique and, in order to share this with his peers, he invited more than 50 plastic surgeons from all over Europe and Africa to watch him carry out live surgery.

The demonstration was staged as part of the inaugural Marbella International Plastic Surgery Summer School, which was organised by Ocean Clinic from July 28-30.

The surgeons watched three surgeries transmitted live from Ocean Clinic's operating theatre into the conference venue Hotel Fuerte. These included a breast enlargement carried out purely with fat and a breast reduction.

One of these patients was Veronica Parker. Veronica, aged 51 and from the UK, had fat removed from her stomach by liposuction and grafted into her breasts. We asked her to share her experience:

Why did a breast enlargement using just your own fat appeal to you?

It appealed to me because it’s all-natural and you haven't got any foreign bodies in your body. You haven't got to go back and have anything checked or removed after so many years, like you do with implants. And you don't get many complications. Also, it's like having two procedures in one – a breast enlargement and lipo, which is great!

What was your experience like at the clinic?

The team at Ocean Clinic is very professional and friendly. They talk you through every single step and they make you feel really comfortable.

I attended a pre-op appointment two days before the surgery, where I filled out forms, took a medical questionnaire, and had a blood test.

On the day of the surgery, I was asked to arrive early and was shown to my room. It had a big television, air conditioning, and a private bathroom.

I was asked to put on a special gown, hat, and socks and wait for the consultants. They came in and drew pictures all over me – they were working out where the fat was that they were going to extract from me.

Shortly after, I was walked through to the operating theatre where I met Dr. Kaye and his mentor Dr. Ubeerreiter from Germany; the specialist who trained him in fat grafting and was going to be carrying out the operation with him.

Then the anaesthetist came in and explained what he was going to do, so I was put at ease every step of the way.

The surgery was carried out under ‘twilight sedation’ rather than full anaesthetic - did you feel anything?

No, nothing at all. I don't remember anything. After two minutes of lying down on the bed I was asleep. I just remember waking up and I was in no pain, I just felt fine.

They wheeled me to my room to recuperate and then came round with some lunch, which they get from a local restaurant and is delicious.

I just had to wait for Dr. Kaye to come and see me a bit later in the day before I could be discharged. I thought I'd be in some pain but there was none at all and I felt fine to leave the clinic.

How has the recovery been?

Since then I've not been in any pain at all. There have been no complications, no discomfort and everything is fine.

I have to wear the compression belt around the abdomen for three weeks, but you get used to it, and I'm allowed to take it off for showering.

The incisions they made are really tiny and after just five days they've nearly disappeared. It's just the bruising to go down and then it’s back to normal. There was some swelling but that’s virtually all gone now too.

Other than having to wear the belt and sleep on my back, I've been able to continue with life completely as normal. I will return to the clinic in a couple of days for a final check and then I will be able to fly home.

What do you think of the results so far?

My tummy already looks great and I've finally got some boobs! They're not massive, but I'm really pleased with them.

The doctors had explained to me that they wouldn't be able to make them really large because my skin is too good quality and doesn't stretch enough. And because I was extremely flat-chested, the breast pocket was small, so what they put in (260 cc each side) was all they could put in.

However, they have said I can return in the future to have more fat put in once the tissues have stretched out, should I want to.

Would you recommend this procedure to others?

Definitely, providing you're a good candidate. If you're a Skinny Minnie, you can't have it done; you have to have a bit of body fat on you.

It also depends on how big you want to go. If you don't have enough fat or, like me, you don't have the capacity in your breasts, then you'd need to look at combining fat grafting with implants.

But if you have realistic expectations about what's achievable, then I'd definitely tell you to go for it.

Want to know more about breast augmentation with fat transfer? Contact Ocean Clinic on (+34) 951 775 518.