Everything You Want to Know About Fat Transfer
Fat transfer, also called fat grafting, fat injections, and autologous grafting, has really come into its own in the past few years with the development of new technologies that make it easier and gentler to move fat from places our patients don’t want it (like the thighs, love handles, etc), to areas where they want some plumping (like the back of hands, breasts, buttocks, and face).
Fat transfer at our Boca Raton surgery center is often preferred by patients who wish to use their own fat instead of fillers, such as Restylane® or Juvéderm®, as the results of fat transfer tend to last a great deal longer than fillers, most of which last only 6 to 12 months (with the exception of Sculptra® and Voluma®, which last up to 2 years.
What is Fat Transfer?
Fat transfer is a 2-step procedure. First, “donor” sites are selected. A donor site is where you wish fat to be removed, such as the hips, thighs, abdomen, love handles, back, or buttocks. Once the fat is removed via liposuction, it is spun down. In the second step, the fat is injected into the areas in which you want some plumping, such as the back of the hands, the face, breasts, or buttocks.
How Long Do The Results of Fat Transfer Last?
Every patient is different in terms of how quickly fat is reabsorbed into the body. It is always the case that some of the fat will be reabsorbed. For that reason, a bit of extra fat is injected during fat transfer to compensate for the fat that the body will absorb over time. Most of my Boca Raton fat transfer patients maintain results for 5-6 years or longer.
Is Fat Transfer Painful?
Liposuction is performed under general anesthesia in our accredited Boca Raton office-based surgery suite. For most patients, there is minimal discomfort afterward. Obviously, the more aggressively that fat is removed, the more discomfort you may have, but patients generally do not require anything stronger than over-the-counter pain medication, such as Tylenol.
Can I Store Extra Fat For Later Use?
Yes, you can. There are companies that specialize in this. The extra fat is put into a sterile container and shipped with frozen packs to the facility for storage in super-cold industrial freezers. If you choose the option to store extra fat, we can use it whenever you wish to.
Fat Transfer is a viable option for healthy South Florida men and women who wish to use the fat from liposuction as filler in other parts of the body. Call us at 561-417-0171 to schedule a consultation about fat transfer or complete our online consultation form.
Dr. Jonathan Ross Berman is a Boca Raton plastic surgeon who has been certified by both the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology / Head and Neck Surgery with over 30 years of service experience specializing in Breast Augmentation, Rhinoplasty, Face Lift, Liposuction, and many other types of plastic surgery in Boca Raton, FL.
