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Guide To Cosmetic Surgery - Fat Grafting

Fat Grafting

Also known as fat injections or autologous fat transfer: this is where fat is harvested from one part of the body and injected into another in order to achieve a fuller, younger appearance.

It is usually injected into the chin, cheeks and lips. This will enhance those features or plump out those areas which have become sunken or drawn. These injections can add volume and density.

If you have wrinkles, lines, ‘crow’s feet’, a deep furrow between your eyes or scars then this treatment can help. They can improve the shape of a facial aspect or correct a ‘defect’.

Ageing skin can be tired looking, flabby and drawn as skin loses its elasticity and tone.  The skin of the cheeks looks sunken in and gaunt which ages the face. Fat can be injected into this area to round out the cheeks and restore youth and vigour.

Human fat is the preferred source.

Suitability for fat grafting

There are fewer risks with this procedure as there is no cutting or re-draping. Your own body acts as the donor site which means no risk of rejection. There is a minimal risk of infection.

The usual criteria will apply which include your age (this is usually performed on older patients), current health, lifestyle and motivations for this procedure.

One thing to bear in mind is that weight gain can increase the size of these injected fat cells. If weight is put on then it will become noticeable as fat cells swell in size to accommodate these extra pounds. This applies to all areas including the lips and it is something you might want to think about beforehand.

The surgeon will discuss these and other issues during the consultation.

Preparing for fat grafting

You will be given pre-surgery guidelines by your surgeon. These will include stopping smoking (if you smoke), what to bring with you on the day of your procedure and aftercare.

These will include advice on the following:

1.  Avoid taking Aspirin, Ibuprofen and Voltarol before surgery as these can increase the risk of bleeding during and after surgery. They can also affect blood clotting ability.

2. If you take any herbal or homeopathic medicines such as Valerian, Ginseng, St John’s Wort etc then you will be advised to stop taking these before surgery. The timescales for these will be the same as for prescription medicine.

3. The time of your last meal and any drinks. If you enjoy alcohol then have your last drink 24 hours before surgery. You may be advised as to what type of meal to have before your procedure.  

4. Wear loose, comfortable clothing on the day of your procedure. Do not wear any make up, jewellery, nail polish or contact lenses. If you normally wear contact lenses then bring your glasses with you instead.

The fat grafting procedure

This procedure is usually carried out under a local anaesthetic. A general anaesthetic will be used if larger areas are being treated or this is being combined with another procedure.

There are three stages to this procedure:

• The donor site (or sites) is cleaned and anaesthetised (numbed).
  
• The surgeon then uses a small tube or cannula which is injected into the donor area. These donor areas such as the abdomen or hips tend to contain plenty of fat cells and are ideal for this procedure.Fat cells are removed or ‘harvested’ from this area by aspiration (‘sucked out’). They are then washed in a saline solution which helps to separate damaged cells from intact ones.
  
• These intact cells are injected into the area to be treated via a small syringe. It is injected in a series of multiple thin strands.The desired areas are the lips, around the mouth, cheeks or under the eyes.

The fat is injected deeply under the skin and each treatment takes around 30 minutes to one hour.

Recovery

This may be a minor amount of pain after this procedure although pain medication can help with this. As this is a relatively quick procedure, carried out under a local anaesthetic then you will be up and about straight away.

There might be some mild swelling and bruising but this will ease within a couple of days.

You can resume your normal activities and return to work as soon as you are ready.

The benefits of fat grafting

The benefits are many. These include:

• Adds fullness to the lips and cheeks
• No scarring or bleeding
• No risk of allergy (fat is taken from patient’s own body)
• Fills out acne scars and skin depressions
• Smoothes out crow’s feet and lines
• Rejuvenates the face

The risks of fat grafting

There are very few risks with fat grafting as it does not involve any incisions or a general anaesthesia. The harvested fat is taken from the patient’s own body no virtually no risk of rejection or allergy.

Infection is a common problem with all procedures, both surgical and injectable although antibiotics can deal with this.

There is a small risk of asymmetry: if fat is injected into more than one area then these areas can appear uneven or unbalanced. This is however, very rare.