Fat graft

What is fat grafting?

Fat grafting is a procedure that removes excess fat cells from an area of the body and then reimplants it when necessary. For example, fat grafting fills facial features with the patient's own fat. Fat grafting is also called free fat transfer, autologous fat transfer/transplantliposculpture lipostructure, volume restore, micro-lipoinjection and fat injections.

The fat used for fat transfer is removed from the abdomen or thighs and injected into another area.

The advantage of fat grafting is that the fat is autologous (comes from your own body), so allergic reactions They do not occur, unlike other external implant substances that are introduced into the body. Your body naturally accepts the injected fat.

Where can fat grafting be used?

Fat grafting can be used to correct or improve:

• Facial scars, such as acne and lupus scars. panniculitis
• Facial volume, in diseases such as hemifacial atrophy
• Sunken cheeks and facial lines.

Fat grafting lasts longer on larger areas without movement, so while it is successful for correcting under-eye furrows and sunken cheeks, it may not be as successful for creating fuller lips. Fat grafting can also correct aging hands where natural tissue is lost between the bones.

Fat grafting is not recommended for breasts. increase since the grafted fat can make it difficult to detect the breast Cancer.

How is fat grafting performed?

Fat grafting is performed in your doctor's rooms on an outpatient basis. There are basically 3 parts to the procedure.

After the procedure, avoid massage and excessive facial movement as this will stop the migration of fat away from the desired treatment areas. Ice packs can be used for 24 to 48 hours to minimize inflammation.

The doctor will check about a week after the procedure to check both the donor and recipient sites. A follow-up appointment 6 to 8 weeks later should see most of the swelling resolved and early results. A repeat procedure may need to be performed if the desired result has not been achieved, but this should not be done within 3 months of the first graft.

How long do fat grafts last?

How much of the graft survives and for how long is currently unknown. During the first few months, approximately 65% of fat is reabsorbed. The remaining 35% will generally remain in place. It appears that the amount reabsorbed by the body and ultimately the longevity of the graft is highly dependent about the technique used in the graft. New techniques are being developed to increase longevity. For longer lasting results, patients can receive 3 or 4 treatments over a period of 6 months to a year.

Are there side effects or complications of fat grafting?

A moderate amount of swelling is expected after fat grafting. This is usually evident for 2 weeks after the procedure. Some bruising may also be evident.

Some complications of fat grafting include:

• Undercorrection: The desired result was not achieved, requiring additional grafting to complete the correction.
• Overcorrection: Too much fat is injected into the area. This prevents new blood vessels growing to supply the graft, leading to cell death and a lumpy consistency.
• Graft grouping.
• Accidental damage to underlying structures such as nerves and blood vessels, particularly around the eye.
• Bleeding: usually associated with the use of sharp needles for fat injection.
• Infection.
• Healing of the donor site.