What are the benefits of fat transfer?

When we think of fat in the body we generally think of the areas we would like to reduce and how good we would look without the fat deposits. However, we don’t realize that these body fat deposits can also serve an important purpose. Fat stores excess calories for future use. It also helps releases hormones for controlling our metabolism. This stored fat can be transferred or grafted to heal tissues, treat painful nerves and improve the overall appearance.

Fat transfer is a popular cosmetic surgery procedure.  Fat transfer is also known as fat grafting or fat injections. Under autologous fat grafting procedure, the patient’s fat is extracted from various areas of the body and used for augmenting other areas like the breast, buttocks, and face. Fat contains a substantial number of stem cells similar to stem cells found in the bone marrow. But unlike extraction of stem cells from bone marrow, stem cells from fat can be easily extracted and the procedure is not that too painful.

Fat transfer helps in healing tissues and scientists believe it is because of the mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) found within fatty tissues.

So what are the benefits of fat transfers and whom can you consult regarding this highly effective cosmetic treatment?

Benefits of Fat transfer:

Cellulite is very difficult to eliminate even after following strict diet and exercise regimes. In some cases when an individual loses weight, the cellulite problem worsens especially when the skin starts sagging post weight loss. The fat transfer procedure is useful to plump up areas with cellulite and even out areas of bumpy, dimpled skin.

Breast augmentation is a common procedure to increase the size of breasts using saline or silicone implants. This procedure requires the patient to go under the knife and also requires a long time to recover completely. The procedure may also result in scarring in some instances. Women who wish to augment their breasts and make them look fuller can instead undergo a fat transfer procedure. They can have fat extracted from other parts of their body to be injected directly into the breasts. This procedure eliminates the need for surgery and implants. It is a much safer option as compared to surgical breast augmentation.

Many women desire to have rounder and fuller buttocks. They can ask an experienced plastic surgeon to extract fat from their thighs or abdomen and inject it into their buttocks. A buttocks fat transfer is also known as a Brazilian butt lift.  Women with large breasts can undergo a buttock fat transfer procedure as it will help make their body contours look more proportionate.

A fat transfer can be used to reduce the signs of aging like wrinkles, fine lines, and sagging skin on the face. It can also help reduce scars caused by acne, burns, injuries, and surgery. Men having small chins can get a chin augmentation done with the fat transfer procedure. This can help them achieve more distinct, masculine-looking chins.

Our hands are regularly exposed to different elements like harsh sun rays, water, changing temperatures, harmful soaps and detergents etc. A look at your hands can reveal your true age.  If you want to make your hands look younger and rejuvenated, fat transfer can be used as a hand rejuvenation procedure.

Post a fat transfer procedure the recovery is quick with very little downtime as compared to cosmetic surgeries like liposuction and facelift surgery. Fat transfers also involve very less chances of allergic reactions as compared to injectable dermal fillers. The reason behind its safety and quick healing time are that the fat injected is not an external element but taken from your own body.

Fat transfer procedures generate natural-looking results that can last for several years if you follow a healthy routine like exercising regularly, eating healthy foods, getting quality sleep etc. Results from dermal fillers have a short life and will require repeat treatments post a few months.

Although the fat transfer procedure can be done on its own, most cosmetic surgeons perform fat transfers along with other facial rejuvenation surgeries such as facelift, cheek lift, and blepharoplasty to achieve the best results.

Author Bio

Dr. Peter Kay has been practicing cosmetic surgery in Tucson, AZ for more than 25 years. He is a Board-Certified plastic surgeon as well as a member of the American College of Surgeons. Along with the team at Perfection Plastic Surgery, Dr. Peter Kay provides an individualized approach to patient care