What is a Fat Transfer?

Many people have heard of fat transfer done during cosmetic surgery. This happens when a patient has their own fat used to add volume to places in their face or body that they believe are too thin or small. People choose their own fat because they may be wary of silicone implants and there’s no risk of rejection. What exactly does the process entail? Here are some answers:

Collecting the Fat

Fat is collected via liposuction. Then, it’s placed in syringes and purified in a centrifuge. Finally, the cleansed fat is added to smaller syringes and ready to be reinserted into the desired area. The entire procedure can take as little as a few minutes or up to about an hour, depending on what the patient wants. If a patient wants a larger area done, such as their buttocks, they may need to undergo several sessions. 

Lip Augmentation

Patients often have both their upper and lower lips augmented. The surgeon doesn’t need to make an incision but simply uses the needle attached to the syringe to create a hole in the lip. The fat is injected little by little so that the lips are filled evenly.

Breast Augmentation

The doctor draws grids over the breasts to guide them when they insert fat into the area. They’ll need to make one or two tiny incisions in the creases of the breasts. They may need to add more fat to one breast than the other if they are asymmetrical, which they often are.

Buttock Augmentation

Women choose this type of fat transfer if they believe their buttocks are too flat or not as curvaceous as they want them to be. In this procedure, the syringe is large and the cannula is quite long. Because of this, the doctor must take their time and make sure that the fat is placed deeply within the body, close to the muscle. Since the muscles are full of blood, this helps the fat get oxygen and nutrients. The doctor massages the area to make sure the fat is well distributed.

After the Procedure

After fat grafting, some patients are startled by their appearance because they believe the doctor placed too much fat in the area. In fact, that’s true. The doctor overfills the area because over about a year the patient’s body will reabsorb about 20 percent of the fat.
Looking to improve the way you look and feel this summer? For more information about cosmetic surgery, give Wall Street Cosmetic Surgery a call at (212) 344-0496 or visit us online!