Fat Transfer Surgery: A Youthful Boost in Volume Using Your Own Tissue
During a fat transfer surgery, Dr. Stephen P. Hardy in Polson, MT, removes excess fat from one area of the body using liposuction and transfers it to another area to add volume and improve contours. It can be an ideal way to sculpt your problem areas, like stomach or thighs, while plumping your facial features, hands, or lips. Also called fat grafting or fat injection, fat transfer surgery is a safe, versatile cosmetic procedure that can produce very satisfying results.
Candidates
The best candidates for fat grafting are in good overall health, but are unable to reduce fat in specific areas through diet and exercise. These patients should also wish to augment another area of their body. Commonly, the fat is liposuctioned from the abdomen, flanks (“love handles”), buttocks, or thighs. The purified fat can then be used to:
- Fill facial areas, reducing creases, crow’s feet, and sunken cheeks. It can also reduce the appearance of acne scars.
- Augment the lips and fill lip wrinkles for a fuller, more youthful appearance.
- Rejuvenate the hands by plumping wrinkled skin and diminishing the appearance of underlying vessels and tendons.
Because liposuction is a cosmetic procedure - not a weight loss solution - patients should also be within 30 percent of their ideal weight and have good skin and muscle tone. Candidates should also be non-smokers without illnesses or medical conditions that can impair healing.
Fat transfer surgery is a safe, versatile cosmetic procedure that can produce very satisfying results.
Procedure
The first stage of the procedure is liposuction surgery. Dr. Hardy will first numb the treatment area, and then make tiny incisions in the area where the fat will be removed. Using a thin tube called a cannula, he will suction the fat and then close the incisions. The harvested fat is then purified in a special centrifuge and transferred to small syringes.
During the second stage, he will prepare the injection site and insert the fat from the syringes. The technique requires skillful placement of the fat into a grid-like pattern to achieve the desired correction and natural-looking planes. You may go home with a dressing or bandage over the area that was grafted. Depending on your goals, you may require additional sessions to achieve the desired size.
Risks
Fat transfer is a relatively complex process that must be performed carefully. If the fat is not processed properly, or if the injections are not performed by a surgeon with an advanced understanding of how to achieve a natural-looking result, you may experience poor outcomes. You can reduce the risks associated with fat grafting by choosing a respected, board-certified cosmetic surgeon for your procedure.
Benefits
Many patients choose fat grafting because it:
- Can produce very natural-looking results.
- Uses fat from your own body, minimizing the risk of infection and complications.
- Allows you to simultaneously achieve leaner contours in another area of your body.
- Produces long-lasting results.
Learn More
If you would like to find out if you are a candidate for fat grafting, please contact us today.
