Fat Transfer

Fat is harvested from one part of your body, washed and purified, and then carefully reinjected with specially designed needles into the areas that need augmentation. It may be necessary to repeat the fat grafting procedure several times to achieve the desired result. Fat grafting can be explained as a three-stage process: (1) harvesting (2) purification and transfer and (3) placement.

Harvesting: You and your surgeon will select a site for fat removal and will inject it with a local anesthetic. Your surgeon will then create a small incision in the area for fat removal and, using a sterile technique, insert a cannula connected to a syringe to carefully extract fat (liposuction).

Purification and transfer: Once enough fat is obtained from the donor area, your surgeon will process it to prepare the fat cells for transfer to small syringes that will be used for fat injection. Purification may require the use of a centrifuge to spin the fat or a filtration process to remove impurities.

Placement: The area designated to receive the graft will then be prepared. Your surgeon will insert a needle or cannula into the incision point of the site being augmented. The injection needle is usually passed in and out of the areas to be augmented multiple times. Each time the needle or cannula is withdrawn, a line of fatty tissue parcels is carefully deposited in natural tissue planes. This process is repeated until the desired correction has been achieved, creating a grid of grafted fat. Some surgeons recommend massaging the grafted areas to create a satisfactory contour. Others prefer to rely on the placement technique to create the appropriate contour. The surgeon may also place a dressing or bandage over the grafted area.

The goal of your aesthetic plastic surgeon and the entire staff is to help you achieve the most beautiful and natural looking results, as well as to make your surgical experience as easy and comfortable as possible.

After surgery, you and your caregiver will receive detailed instructions about your postsurgical care, including information about drains, if they have been placed, normal symptoms you will experience and any potential signs of complications. Your plastic surgeon will advise you how to care for the sites from which fat was extracted. There will occur swelling and bruising during the first couple of weeks.

Once the swelling recedes, you will be able to appreciate the changes, but subtle swelling may persist for weeks. Ask your doctor how long it will be before you can return to your normal level of activity and work following this procedure.