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FAT GRAFTING

OVERVIEW

Fat grafting or fat transfer is a surgical procedure in which fat from one area of the body is transferred to the other. It is used to enhance or augment the required area by giving natural-looking results.

About Fat grafting

If you are loosing fat in select areas of your face or body, fat grafting may work for you. It is the most abundant and easily available natural filler. Fat is the largest source of stem cells in the body. Fat injection or grafting is akin to Fat Derived Stem Cell grafting and has broad applications in cosmetic surgery. Fat injected into areas requiring volume-enhancement produces safe, long-lasting, and natural-appearing results as volume is replaced to tissues where fat is diminished. Fat grafting usually involves harvesting fat from one part of the body, processing it, and then carefully re-injecting it with specially designed needles into the areas requiring augmentation. The procedure may need to be done more than once to achieve the desired result.

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Who are the ideal candidates?

An ideal candidate is one who is well, without any pre-existing medical problems and must have realistic objectives of the result of this procedure.

Who will benefit the most?

Patients who benefit from fat grafting are people who desire augmentation or filling of volume- deficient areas. The most commonly grafted areas include the hands (rejuvenation of hands), face (rejuvenation), lip augmentation ( to make fuller lips)and depressions in the skin contour such as those that have developed following liposuction and scarring. Breast and Buttock augmentation with Fat can give very realistic improvement. There is a decrease of fat from our face as we age. Either fat grafting as a stand alone procedure or with Facelift have shown remarkable rejuvenation.

Where can fat grafting be used?

Fat grafting can been used for repairing or improving:

Skin damage to the face, e.g. Acne scars.
Facial ailments such as hemi-facial atrophy.
Face growing older such as low cheekbones, wrinkles and folds etc.
Fat grafting can also be used to rejuvenate hands and fingers.
Where the natural fat cells are decreased between the bones due to ageing.

Where is fat injected from?

We remove fat from the areas with surplus fat such as tummy, thighs, love handles etc. using liposuction. Once, it is extracted, it is then purified and prepared for injection.

What is the recovery time?

Although the access points heal in a couple of days, and you can start taking a shower in a couple of days, you may have bruising swelling and restriction of movement of treated areas for approximately one week. Again depending on the areas treated, you may be able to go back to work in a week after surgery.

What is the post-operative care?

Dressings may be placed on the injected areas. These dressings may include the use of tapes or compressive-type dressings. Your surgeon may request that you don’t sit or lie on injected areas for a prescribed period. Your surgeon may also instruct you regarding a massage program after the procedure. Swelling and bruising usually resolve approximately three weeks.

Little or no downtime?

You should be able to return to normal activities within a few days. one to three days (isolated fat grafts, mild), seven to fourteen days (moderate or substantial fat grafts, or fat grafts combined with other cosmetic surgery procedures).

Return to Exercise:

Four to seven days (light cardio), two to three weeks (more strenuous exercise).In any case, the recovery process is variable and is based on how much fat was required for transfer and also based on one’s own personal perception of one’s healing.

Where do I begin?

A consultation with your Aesthetic Plastic surgeon at Aesthetics Medispa is the first step to learn how fat grafting surgery can help you. This consultation will fully educate you in a non-pressured environment and will include a discussion of your goals, options available for fat grafting, likely outcomes, potential risks and complications.

What is the procedure for fat grafting?

A thorough pre-procedure evaluation. This may require several visits to your surgeon before the procedure. A full history and physical examination will be performed prior to the procedure. Your surgeon may take pre-procedure photographs, an informed consent will be obtained, and your skin may be marked. Either local (‘twilight’) or general anesthesia may be used, depending on your surgeon’s preference.

Fat is harvested using a special suction cannula using sterile technique from various access points on the abdomen, hips or thighs that are not more than a few millimeters in size. Once enough fat is obtained from the donor area, it is then purified. This often requires the use of a centrifuge which spins the fat and removes impurities. The fat is then placed in small syringes and injected into the areas requiring augmentation through small access points in the skin.. A multitude of passes are done as the fat is placed in a three-dimensional latticework that maximizes the in-growth of blood vessels and fat survival.The areas that were injected may then be massaged by the surgeon to create a satisfactory contour. The access points in the skin heal without the need for sutures. The harvest site access points are simply covered with steristrips.

The procedure may take around two to three hours but this varies greatly depending on how soon the desired amount of fat is extracted and the area to be injected.

What are the advantages / benefits of fat injections?

Fat injection or grafting is a technique that is growing in popularity. Fat is one of most well- tolerated fillers available to aesthetic surgeons, and thus has broad applications. It is natural- appearing, lasts a long time, and is safe. It is an effective filler used for changing body contour, revising scars, filling depressions created by liposuction, and rejuvenating the hands and face. Perhaps most importantly, it spares the patient the inherent risks associated with fillers derived from animals or cadavers.

What are the possible risks and complications of fat injections?

Swelling is the most common post-operative side effect. Most of the swelling settles down within several weeks.

Bruising in both the donor and recipient areas are as a result of thin layer of blood under the skin. This resolves on its own in two to three weeks. It is unusual to require a transfusion.

There is numbness of the skin overlying the donor and injected areas. This is usually temporary. You may experience slight asymmetry or contour irregularity. This usually improves as the swelling resolves. Under or over correction of the defect is possible as it is difficult to predict how much fat will survive and how much will get resorbed. Infection.

If you put on weight due to dietary excesses or lack of exercise, then the fat grafted areas may fill out more. So it is important that you maintain your weight after the procedure.

How long does it take for the procedure?

It may take around two to three hours but this varies greatly depending on how soon the desired amount of fat is extracted and the area to be injected.