fat transfer
Fat transfer, also known as fat grafting, is a natural, long-lasting solution for restoring volume, enhancing contours, and rejuvenating your appearance using your body’s own fat. Board-certified plastic surgeon Kevin Day, MD, offers this innovative body contouring procedure to patients seeking a more natural alternative to synthetic fillers or implants. By carefully harvesting fat from one area of the body and strategically transferring it to another, Dr. Day can deliver beautifully refined results with the added benefit of subtle contouring where the fat is removed. Whether you’re looking to enhance the face, breasts, buttocks, or hands, fat transfer with Dr. Day can be a safe and personalized approach to achieving your aesthetic goals.
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What Is Fat Transfer?
Fat transfer involves using a patient’s own fat tissue to improve the appearance and contour of another area of the body or face. As we age, we lose volume in many areas of the body that contribute to a less youthful appearance. Areas such as the face, upper breasts, hands, and buttocks can appear gaunt or loose with loss of fat volume. Fat transfer works to reverse those signs of aging.
What Are the Benefits of Fat Transfer?
Fat transfer helps to restore a more youthful appearance by adding volume where it has been lost, similar to injectable dermal fillers. In fact, fat transfer serves as a more permanent filler because it is living tissue that does not reabsorb or get broken down like hyaluronic acid or other fillers. An added benefit is that fat can be removed from areas where it creates an unwanted contour, such as the “love handle” area. Fat transfer can also help restore contour in areas of injury, such as indented scars or in tissues treated with radiation. In fact, studies have shown that fat transfer can improve tissue quality and have a regenerative effect on areas treated with radiation therapy in the past.
Who Is a Candidate for Fat Transfer?
Patients who are in good health and able to safely undergo elective surgery can be considered for fat transfer. Patients must be tobacco- and nicotine-free for at least four weeks prior to surgery and for four weeks post-operatively, as nicotine inhibits healing and can lead to non-incorporation of the grafts. Prospective patients should be close to their ideal weight range with areas of mild to moderate volume loss due to aging.
How Is Fat Transfer Performed?
Fat transfer is often performed under general anesthesia or heavy sedation. The process starts with liposuction to obtain fat from areas in the body where it is not wanted. Liposuction is performed through small, inconspicuous incisions in the skin. The fat is then meticulously cleared of blood, damaged fat cells, oils, and fluids so that only healthy, living fat is transferred. The fat is then injected into areas where volume or contour need to be restored. Once the fat establishes blood supply in its new location, it becomes a permanent filler that won’t reabsorb and can age naturally with your body.
What Does Fat Transfer Recovery Entail?
Fat transfer requires you to take some downtime after surgery to recover properly and optimize the amount of fat retained, or “take”, of your fat transfer. Pain is typically the strongest at the area of liposuction, about equivalent to the pain of a very bad bruise. Pain medications can be provided to help through the initial recovery. You will likely need to wear light compression garments at the area of liposuction and minimize movement as much as possible at the area where the fat is grafted. Do not manipulate the grafted fat until it has had time to take. Overall, you should feel back to your normal self at three to four weeks out from surgery.
How Much Does Fat Transfer Cost?
Fat transfer pricing can vary widely due to procedure complexity and number of areas treated. Additionally, operating facility and anesthesia costs will differ based on the amount of time needed to perform the surgery. As such, at your consultation, Dr. Day will listen to your concerns, evaluate if fat transfer is an appropriate treatment to meet your goals, and then provide you with an itemized cost-estimate based on the complexity and time required. Financing options for qualified applicants are also available should you wish to space payments out over time.
Your transformation begins with a conversation. Dr. Day takes the time to understand your goals and craft a personalized fat transfer plan designed just for you. Contact our practice today to book your consultation and start your journey to a more confident you.