Plastic Surgeons in Beverly Hills - Los Angeles - Plastic Surgery

Fat Transfer Surgery

Fat injection, or fat grafting, has broad applications in plastic surgery. Fat may be injected into areas requiring volume-enhancement. It produces safe, long-lasting, and natural-appearing results as volume is replaced to tissues where fat is diminished. At our facilities in Beverly Hills, fat grafting usually involves removing the fat from one part of the body such as abdomen, hips or thighs; then purifying it and carefully re-injecting it with specially designed instruments into the areas requiring augmentation.

Fat is harvested with a special liposuction cannula using sterile techniques in the operating room. Once enough fat is removed from the donor area, it is then purified—excess fluid, blood, and other components are removed. The fat is then placed into the areas requiring augmentation such as face, buttocks, or even hands. The injection needle is usually passed carefully in and out of the areas to be augmented a few times. This creates a ‘grid’ of threads of fat graft. The area that was injected may then be massaged by the surgeon to create a soft contour.

After the fat injections, the transferred fat will usually “take” and stay in the area for years to come. Since the fat graft is not a foreign material such as an implant, there is no risk of rejection and very low risk of complication associated with an implant such as rupture or leak. Swelling is commonly seen after fat injections and usually resolves within 2-3 weeks. The degree of swelling is most dependent on the area injected. Your Beverly Hills fat injection specialist will also instruct you not to sit or lay on the area for a prolonged period of time during the first few weeks. You will be required to sleep on your side and sit on a soft surface or pillow during the first 3 or 4 weeks following a fat grafting surgery.