A subtle infusion of fat in key areas of your body can give you dramatic results.
This cosmetic technique is known as natural fat grafting, which has existed and been popular in some form or another since the 1980s.
The idea behind natural fat grafting is to fill in certain areas with the same substance your body uses to enhance those areas – fatty tissue.
Breasts are composed of breast tissue, connective tissue, and fatty tissue. By adding more fat to your breasts, a skilled cosmetic surgeon can repair contour irregularities, fix certain other defects, as well as add symmetry.
The same goes for the behind, and other areas like your cheeks or lips.
The big question patients usually have at this point is, “Where does the fat used in fat grafting come from?”
The answer is you. The fat comes from you. We will describe how the surgeon extracts and uses it in the following sections. As you read, begin imagining what natural fat grafting could do for your body contours.
You can learn more about fat grafting and your candidacy for cosmetic surgery by scheduling a consultation with Dr. Babak Moein of Moein Surgical Arts.
What is the Natural Fat Grafting Technique and How to Use it in Cosmetic Surgery?
Surgical fat grafting also referred to as the autologous fat transfer or more simply the fat transfer technique is used to restore volume to various areas of the body.
Here are some common areas you might want to have fat injected to add more size and smoothness where nature may have let you down.
Erase Facial Defects
The procedure can be used on the face to remove indentations in the skin, such as those caused by acne scarring. The technique can also work to ease away expression lines, wrinkles, and to add cheek volume.
Breast Enhancement
Surgeons can use natural fat grafting in breast reconstruction to rebuild the breasts and add symmetry.
Women can also use the autologous fat technique during breast augmentation, either alongside or without breast implants.
Increase Buttocks Size
Fat transfer can be used to lift and add roundness to the behind.
The technique can extend to the thighs to give an all-around and all-natural-looking boost to the posterior area of your body.
Vaginal Rejuvenation
Fat transfer performed on the vagina can add lost volume to your most intimate of areas while restoring a more youthful appearance.
Natural Fat Grafting for Other Body Areas
The surgeon can perform the fat transfer techniques virtually anywhere, from head to toe. Chest, legs, and arms are alternate common areas where fat is infused to add lost volume.
The fatty tissue can sometimes be used to give the appearance of larger muscles, and it restores youthfulness to your skin and body.
Fat Extraction is Necessary for Fat Transfer in Cosmetic Surgery
The first part of the fat transfer technique involves the collection of fat cells.
The surgeon collects the fat from a donor site, which is an area of your body with enough adipose tissue to spare.
Liposuction is used on the donor site to extract the fatty tissue. This gives you the benefit of slimming one area while boosting the volume of another.
Common donor sites where the surgeon can extract the fat from for the fat transfer process include the belly, back, and thighs.
The abdomen is the most common donor site for fat extraction.
The type of liposuction used for the extraction is referred to as tumescent liposuction.
The procedure first involves the use of a subcutaneous liquid that combines anesthesia with a substance that helps to break up and dissolve fatty tissue.
The liposuction procedure involves a small incision, whereby a thin metal tube called a cannula is inserted to further break up and suction out the fat.
The suctioned fat stays gone permanently from the donor site.
The fat will then be treated before it is injected into your key body parts for a natural infusion of volume and youth.
Fat Transfer Involves the Injection of Your Own Fat
Tumescent liposuction has proven to be the most effective fat extraction method that also preserves the fatty tissue well enough for re-injection.
The fat isn’t injected back into your body straight away. The surgeon must first treat the tissue to sterilize it and ensure to mix it well enough to allow for the evenest application. You don’t want lumps under your skin.
The fat cells are processed and sent through a centrifuge to remove impurities. Once the mixture is thoroughly treated, it can be prepared for injection.
Fat injection into the face, breasts, or buttocks requires careful precision and an artistic touch.
Cosmetic surgeons are the most suitable for fat transfer surgeries because they understand how to apply natural-looking contours to the body using fatty tissue.
The surgeon will perform each injection in strategic locations. This allows for a careful layering of the fat cells underneath the skin.
The end result looks like nature gave the results to you.
The best part is that you get subtly larger breasts, a more voluptuous butt, and younger-looking features without the scarring associated with other cosmetic procedures.
Benefits of Fat Transfer Technique
Uses Your Own Fat
Cosmetic surgeons have alternative ways of adding volume to areas of the body. Synthetic dermal fillers are one option; cosmetic implants are another. Common examples include breast implants and buttock implants.
With synthetics and implants, or anything else foreign, there is a chance your body could reject the surgery.
The fat transfer technique uses your own fatty tissue. You won’t form an allergy to it and your body isn’t likely to reject it. You get a natural infusion of volume that is likely to stay for the long term.
Slim Your Abdomen or Other Bodily Area
A prime benefit of fat grafting is that you can use it for belly fat removal, for example. If you have part of your body with excess fat, you could find it looking nice and trim by using it as a donor site for the fat transfer technique.
Looks and Feels Natural
Unlike some implant surgeries, which can produce a firmer feel to the skin, the fat transfer technique produces ultra-soft tissue that feels naturally enhanced. No one will know you had work done unless you tell them.
What is Recovery Like for Fat Transfer Cosmetic Surgery?
You will notice immediate improvements to the area once you come out of surgery.
Much of what you see will be swelling from the procedure, and from overfilling.
Your surgeon over-fills the area with fatty tissue on purpose. Your body will absorb some of the fatty tissue as part of its normal biological processes. Much of the excess will remain, giving you added volume and the fresher features you desire.
The swelling will eventually subside, and the true effects of the surgery will be visible.
The cells that transfer successfully will continue to add volume permanently, even aiding in new collagen production to improve the area and add youthfulness to the skin over time.
The effects will become more visible the more time passes, and natural collagen production increases.
How Long Does Natural Fat Grafting Last?
There is no set answer for how long the fat transfer technique will last. The best answer is that you can preserve the effects of fat grafting by following a healthy lifestyle. Do your best to keep your weight stable and follow your surgeon’s suggestions for keeping your skin and body healthy.
Age will come for us all. While natural fat grafting cannot stop the aging process, adding fatty tissue to key areas can keep you looking younger at least as long as possible.
Surgical Fat Grafting May Require Additional Treatments
Depending on your anticipated results, you may require four to six sessions to get the best outcome. Your cosmetic surgeon can discuss a treatment plan that includes fat transfer. He will also give you a good idea of how many sessions to expect for the most dramatic results.
Ready to Discuss Fat Transfer to Cosmetically Enhance Your Face or Body?
Fat grafting or fat transfer can add volume to hollowed-out areas of the skin while eradicating defects.
You can enhance the roundness of the buttocks and restore symmetry to your breasts.
Breasts can also be surgically enhanced with fatty tissue or added to breast implants for natural realism.
If you are seeking a cosmetic procedure that offers immediate and permanent results, schedule a consultation with Dr. Moein.
At Moein Surgical Arts, we want to help you feel better about the way you look on the outside, so your inside beauty shines through.
We can do that through the fat transfer technique and other cosmetic procedures aimed at helping your exterior glimmer and self-esteem surge. Book your appointment and get answers to questions about surgical fees, insurance, and financing by calling our Southern California office: (310)694-4486.