fat transfer or fat grafting

fat transfer treatment Treatment in South Pasadena, CA

Treatments

Fat Transfer or Fat Grafting

Autologous fat transfer or fat grafting is a minimally invasive treatment in which your own fat is used to fill and enhance parts of your body. This relatively new cosmetic procedure has been growing in popularity because the material injected is your own fat, which lasts longer than dermal fillers. Please keep reading to learn more about fat transfer and what it can do for you.

What is fat transfer?

Fat transfer is a procedure in which unwanted fat is removed from one part of the body (such as the abdomen or thighs) using liposuction and injected into another part of the body to lift and sculpt the area (such as the face, breasts, hands, or buttocks). The goal is to fill sunken or hollow areas caused by aging, infection, or trauma. The results achieved with fat grafting are as dramatic as fillers or implants without the need for repeat treatments or revisions. The implanted fat feels and looks natural, so you don’t look “done.”

What parts of the body can fat transfer improve?

Face

The most common area for fat transfer procedures is the face. The fat is carefully injected into hollows and depressions and used to fill lines, creases, and scars. This helps to rejuvenate the face and makes you look instantly younger. A recontoured facial profile can give you a refreshed, more energetic appearance by reversing some of the signs of aging such as volume loss.

Breasts

Fat transfer can be performed to augment the breasts. Breast augmentation with fat transfer looks and feels extremely natural. The results are permanent with no need for revision procedures down the road, no replacement of implants required, and no risk of rippling, implant rupture, or capsular contracture. Fat grafting to the breasts can also be used to correct asymmetry or reconstruct the breasts after cancer surgery.

Hands

Aging hands can benefit from fat grafting. The results are a soft, natural-looking rejuvenation with concealment of veins and bones. Many patients choose fat transfer to the hands after seeing great results on their face, and because a youthful face and aged hands just don’t go well together.

Buttocks

Fat transfer to the buttocks (commonly called a Brazilian Butt Lift or BBL) naturally enhances the size and shape of the buttock region to give you a more attractively proportioned body. The treatment addresses issues such as shapelessness and sagging that can occur with age. A Brazilian Butt Lift with fat transfer can give you a fuller, rounder buttock contour with enhanced feminine curves or a more masculine shape.

How is fat grafting performed?

Autologous fat transfer is a 3-step process. The first step involves extracting the fat with liposuction from the donor area, which is usually the hips, thighs, or belly area. In the second step, the fat is purified, filtered, and processed. The third and final step involves re-injecting the purified fat into the target area that needs improvement. The area will be overfilled in the target area since some of the fat cells are reabsorbed by the body over time. Therefore, a slightly overfilled look initially is normal and anticipated.

How much is the downtime with fat transfer?

There will be some bruising, swelling, and tenderness in the donor and treated areas. These symptoms are temporary and usually resolve in 7-10 days. Every patient heals differently, but in general you will need 1-2 weeks of recovery.

When will I see the results of fat transfer?

As noted, there can be some swelling and bruising after the procedure, so the results will not be immediately visible. By the third week after your fat transfer procedure, you will have a good idea of what your results look like. There may be some subtle swelling still present at this point. The final results of your fat transfer will be visible 3 months after the fat injections. At this point, the fat that has survived will be permanent. You may need 2-3 treatments to get the desired results.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of fat transfer?

A key advantage of fat grafting is that it uses your own fatty tissue to fill areas of volume loss. This means not only are the results natural in appearance and feel, but there is no risk of an allergic reaction or rejection by the body. Because the injected material is your own fat, it lasts longer than dermal fillers.

However, dermal fillers are a quick procedure with no downtime, while fat transfer is a surgical procedure. It is also true that only a portion of the transferred fat survives in the new location, but the fat that does survive is permanent, without the need for re-treatment. Also, there are ways to ensure more fat survives.

What makes RejuvaYou your best choice when considering a fat transfer?

At Rejuva Medical, we use a technology called Vaser to harvest the fat for autologous fat transfer. Vaser is an advanced ultrasound technology that gently breaks fat cells loose from the surrounding tissues in the donor area. This ensures the fat cells are minimally damaged. As a result, there is nearly 80% volume retention after fat transfer with Vaser. In comparison, the fat survival rate is considerably lower with some other methods of liposuction. The high retention means better results for your face, hands, breasts and buttocks. Besides the high take rate of the transferred fat, the consistency of the harvested fat with Vaser is smoother, allowing more effective sculpting with natural looking results!

What are the risks of fat transfer?

Some of the potential complications of fat transfer include infection, hematoma (fluid collection under the skin), asymmetry, formation of scar tissue or cysts, and outbreak of cold sores. These complications are preventable and treatable but may lead to a delay or disappointment with the cosmetic results. At RejuvaYou Medical, we make every effort to ensure patients receive safe treatment from consultation to the final followup appointment.

How much is a fat transfer procedure?

Fat transfer for complete facial rejuvenation usually costs around $X,500. Localized fat injections in the face and hands are around $X,000 to $X,500. Fat transfer breast augmentation is around $x,000. A Brazilian Butt Lift with autologous fat transfer ranges from $x,000 to $x,000. These are ballpark prices and your cost may vary based on factors such as the size of the area targeted, number of areas that need to be injected and the overall complexity of the procedure. After we have evaluated the area we can give you a quote for your specific procedure.

Am I a good candidate for fat transfer?

If you are in good general health and want to reverse the visible signs of aging on your face or hands or augment your breasts or buttocks naturally, then fat transfer can give you impressive results.

Not sure if fat transfer is right for you? RejuvaYou Medical offers a free evaluation to determine if fat grafting is appropriate to address your aesthetic concerns. When we evaluate the area, we can determine if this treatment is right for you based on your goals. We will also answer any questions you have about fat transfer or other aesthetic treatments.

Call us or fill out the form below to set up your FREE skin evaluation.

References:

https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/press-releases/new-plastic-surgery-statistics-reveal-focus-on-face-and-fat

https://americanhealthandbeauty.com/articles/3880/study-shows-fat-removed-with-vaser-is-viable-in-fat-transfer