Fat transfer, also called fat grafting, fat injections and lipofilling, is a procedure that uses a person’s own fat to fill in irregularities and grooves. This is now a well-established technique that was perfected in the early nineties to a predictable procedure.
Aesthetic indications for undergoing lipofilling include sunken cheeks, the disappearance of fat from the cheekbones, deep grooves running from the nose to the corners of the mouth, and in some instances of lines between the lower eyelids and the cheek.
It is also one of the most common methods used for lip enhancement. In addition, lipofilling can be used to smooth out all types of irregularities such as those resulting from poorly performed liposuction or injuries.
The necessary fat is obtained by a limited liposculpture through one or several 3 to 5 mm incisions. It is normally taken from the abdomen or inner thigh. The aspirated fat is processed by centrifuging, filtering or rinsing. Pure liquid fatty tissue ready for injection is the result.
The fat is then injected where needed. The fat is evenly distributed into the area by injecting minute amounts in the tissues so that the injected fat is well surrounded by healthy tissue. This ensures that the transplanted fat remains in contact with the surrounding tissues that must supply it with oxygen and nutrients.
Length
About an hour, depending on the size of the areas to be treated.
Anesthesia
Local infiltration anaesthesia of the donor area and the area to be treated.
Inpatient/Outpatient
Either.
Benefits of Fat Transfer (Fat Grafting)
Fat transfers offer a safe, natural, and lasting solution for a more youthful appearance. There are several benefits of fat grafting:
- Can provide natural-looking results
- Risk of allergic reaction is limited (as it originated from your body)
- Removes unwanted fat from other areas of the body
- Low complication rate
- Minimal and mostly unnoticeable scarring much fat can be injected into an area
Possible Side Effects
Donor area: bruising, swelling, tenderness, up to 24 hours drainage of anaesthetic liquid.
Treated area: bruising, swelling (especially the lips if treated), tenderness.
The areas that have been treated will be rather swollen immediately after the operation, especially the lips if they have been treated. It is therefore important to use a cold pack and a compress in the first few hours to minimize the swelling. A cold pack is a freezer bag filled with ice cubes and water.
The swelling will increase until about the third day, but will then gradually subside. After about a week to ten days patients feel confident about going out and resuming a normal social life. If any bruises have developed, they might remain visible for a little longer but can be hidden reasonably well with makeup.
Patients should have a check-up with the surgeon after five to seven days and again three weeks later. By then most of the swelling will have subsided, but the correction may still look rather exaggerated.
Surgeons usually over-correct, which means injecting more fat than is actually needed because 25 to 30% of the transplanted fat cells do not survive. The final result is assessed after three months. The surgeon will then take photographs to be compared with those taken before the procedure. A second session may be scheduled to top up any shortfall in volume.
Types of Fat Grafting
There are different types of fat grafting, and the filter determines which type of fat graft will be used.
1. Macro Fat Graft
Macro fat grafting is used for large volume transfer of fat in the body, such as the breasts and buttocks. This could be used in a Brazilian butt lift, where fat is extracted from one area of the body, filtered, and inserted in the buttocks area to give it more of a lift and to add volume.
2. Micro Fat Graft
Micro fat grafting is more common for people who want more volume in their faces. Under-eye area correction, lip/chin/cheek augmentation, and fixes for the deep creases around the nose and mouth can all be achieved with a micro fat graft.
3. Nano Fat Graft
Nano-fat grafting is the most filtered fat out of the three listed above. This method of fat grafting is usually used to improve the texture of the skin and skin tone. It’s also used to smoothen crow’s feet, fine lines, and tear troughs.
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