Surgical Fat Transfer - An Overview

Introduction:

Fat is not distributed evenly throughout the body. Some areas of the body have an abundance of fat, and some areas lack fat. Some individuals are skinny, but still, they have belly fat. Some may be obese but possess a skinny face. Like celebrities, everyone wants a perfect body shape, so they choose to exercise or undergo surgery. However, not all changes in body shape can be achieved through exercise; some require surgery. Surgical fat transfer is a great surgical option for achieving the desired body shape. This article is all about exploring all the facts about surgical fat transfer.

What Is Surgical Fat Transfer?

Surgical fat transfer is a cosmetic surgical procedure that uses the body’s own fat to make certain areas of the body look plump and fuller. Usually, certain areas of the body, like the tummy or thighs, store extra fat. The surgeon takes out this unwanted extra fat from these areas, collects it in a syringe, and finally injects it into the areas requiring more volume, like buttocks, breasts, or cheeks (in those with hollow cheeks).

What Are the Benefits of Surgical Fat Transfer?

This procedure has several benefits, which are discussed below:

• Surgical fat transfer is an alternative to certain plastic surgeries, which require the placement of silicone implants to add volume in areas like breasts and cheeks.

• It is less expensive than plastic surgeries such as breast implants.

• There is less downtime.

• Used as an anti-aging treatment and provides fullness to sunken cheeks, smoothes out the fine lines, and adds volume to the face giving it a youthful appearance.

• It helps in weight loss by removing unwanted fat in the region, which does not get better by diet and exercise.

• Allergic reactions are less likely to happen as in this procedure; no foreign material is injected; instead, the body's own fat is used.

• Fat can be injected into the buttocks to make them look more prominent and fuller.

• Surgical fat transfer procedures can also make the hands look younger. The fat transferred to the hand adds volume and diminishes the wrinkle.

• The extra fat from the tummy can be transferred to the breast and buttocks to achieve a perfect hourglass figure, which is desired by the majority of women.

• This surgery can also correct sunken scars from previous trauma by injecting body fat there.

Who Are the Best Candidates for Surgical Fat Transfer?

• Both men and women who have enough fat for fat transfer can undergo this surgery.

• Individuals who are allergic to dermal fillers can take this treatment as in this method, body fat is used instead of filler.

• People with good physical and mental health and realistic expectations from the surgery are good candidates for this surgery.

• Those who do not want to go for extensive plastic surgeries like breast or hip implants to enhance their body shape.

What Is the Procedure of Surgical Fat Transfer?

Surgical fat transfer is done under local or general anesthesia. The procedural steps are discussed below:

• To begin the procedure, the surgeon first marks the area from which the extra fat needs to be removed.

• After that, the anesthesia is administered to make the patient comfortable throughout the procedure.

• The next step includes making small incisions or cuts by the surgeon on the area (for example- tummy or thighs) from where extra fat has to be removed.

• Through the opening created by the incisions, a liposuction device is inserted, and the fat is sucked out using the liposuction procedure.

• The fat which is taken out by liposuction is not exclusively made up of fat cells; instead, it is mixed up with blood, body cells, body fluids, and non-fatty cells.

• For the purification of fat cells centrifugation method is used, and these substances are removed from the fat cells.

• After centrifugation, the purified fat is transferred to injection and is then injected into the body’s area, which needs to be enhanced.

• Some surgeons prefer to inject extra fat into the target area so that if some of the fat cells die, these extra fat cells will still be present to add extra volume.

• The procedure takes around one hour to four hours, depending on the amount of fat transfer and treatment area.

How Long Does It Take To Recover From Surgical Fat Transfer?

The swelling after the surgery goes away after two to six weeks. However, the initial recovery takes only a week. After a week, the patient can do normal activities. Mild pain, bruising, and discomfort would be present at the site of the incision, but they will go away after a few days. Painkillers are prescribed, which reduce the pain after the surgery.

How Long Does It Take To See the Results From the Surgical Fat Transfer?

The final results can be seen once the swelling subsides completely and the injected fat settles down in the treated area. This usually takes around six months. However, soon after the surgery, initial results can be noticed in the treated area.

In addition, the surgery results can be maintained over a longer period of time by keeping a stable weight after the surgery; weight gain or weight loss will affect the surgery results. Scars from this surgery are very minimal, are less noticeable, and fade away over time.

What Are the Risks of Surgical Fat Transfer?

Although it is a minimally invasive and safe procedure, some minor risks are associated with this surgery which are discussed below:

• Not all the transferred fat cells survive; therefore, sometimes, results can be compromised.

• There is a possibility of uneven or poor esthetic results after the surgery.

• Bleeding may occur.

• The risk of fat embolism is associated with surgical fat transfer.

• Calcification can occur.

• Non acceptance of surgical fat transfer grafting can lead to abscess formation which may require removal of the fat.

Conclusion

Surgical fat transfer is a good alternative for surgeries that require implant placement inside the body parts that require volume and projection. The body’s own fat can be used to give the body beautiful contours. However, the only drawback of fat transfer over implants is the longevity of the results. Over time, the transferred fat cells may get destroyed, which can result in a loss of volume in the treated area.