Risks of a fat transfer breast augmentation include: Bleeding and bruising. Fat cell death (necrosis) or fat cells moving out of your breasts to different parts of your body. Infection.
Tissue Loss In rare cases, the transferred fat may cause the skin over the treated area to be injured resulting in loss of the skin and surrounding tissue. This may leave scars and disfigurement and require surgery for treatment.
Ideal Candidates for the Fat Transfer Procedure
Our fat transfer patients typically range in age from their late 30s to their 80s. Younger patients (those in their early 20s or 30s) can also experience volume loss patterns that make them look tired around the eyes.
Do fat transfers last? Results from fat transfer are permanent. However, not all fat cells survive the procedure, so you may not achieve the volume you want. It takes about six months for the injected fat cells to develop a new blood supply and to see final results.
A surgical fat transfer is generally a safe procedure, but it can occasionally result in: a collection of blood underneath the skin (haematoma) death of fat tissue (fat necrosis) a blockage in a blood vessel caused by a piece of fat (fat embolism)
The fatty cells introduced to the facial area during facial fat grafting are subject to the same biological processes as all fat cells, so they will disappear with significant weight loss.
It may require 4 to 6 individual sessions to get the best potential results. The injected fat may be reabsorbed by the body and you may lose some or all of the breast volume over time.
There is no limit to how many times fat grafting can be done. Each session is commonly spaced by 6-12 weeks.
The transferred fat cells continue to live in the area where they were injected. If a patient has significant weight gain or loss, these fat cells could expand or shrink, affecting the overall results of the procedure.
Fat removal is permanent, and while fat cells removed with liposuction will not come back, it is possible to regain weight in that area. After a fat transfer, the fat cells will permanently stay in their new home. However, you may see a proportional change in the volume of fat if you have dramatic weight changes.
Fat transfer: Because fat transfer to the breast utilizes a patient's own fat cells to increase breast volume – rather than a synthetic implant – the result looks and feels exceptionally natural in most cases. In addition, using the patient's own fat greatly reduces the risk of an allergic or adverse reaction.
Since fat grafting adds volume, it does not create saggy skin.
We require that patients are within 30% of their ideal weight before having liposuction as part of their fat transfer procedure. If you are greater than 30% over the ideal body weight, you will have to lose some weight before liposuction and the fat transfer procedure.
Costs for Breast Augmentation via Fat Transfer vary depending on your overall situation, your expectations and the degree of liposuction being performed. As a guide: Where liposuction is performed on one area and fat transfer to the breast, the cost is $8,800. The initial consultation is between $120 – $330.
Avoid alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine, for these will dramatically slow the healing process.
Some of the healthy fats you can add in your diet include coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, walnuts, almonds, grass-fed butter, and avocados. Your newly transferred fats need to re-establish a blood supply and nutrients to survive.
Compression garments help to reduce swelling and bruising. With fat transfer patients, compression garments can also help smooth the skin in areas where fat has been removed. Depending on your treatment, your surgeon may advise you to wear your compression garment for 2-3 weeks.
Will the fat move after it is placed by fat transfer? Your body accepts the transferred fat as an integral part of you unlike silicone or other non-living implants. With fat transfer the fat immediately anchors to the surrounding tissues. Once it has a blood supply, the fat is extremely stable.
Immediately after your surgery, you may notice that your face looks fuller than you'd expected. This is a normal and temporary part of having a facial fat transfer. Some of the facial fullness is caused by swelling, which will subside after recovery.
It is rare, but in certain cases, the transferred fat may cause injury to the skin over the site, causing tissue damage to the skin and surrounding tissue. This may result in scarring or disfigurement and need surgery to repair.
Common side effects of a facial fat transfer are bruising and swelling, a feeling of numbness or altered sensation in the fat-filled areas. This is usually temporary. Bleeding and infection are uncommon.
Fat is an important part of a healthy diet. Choose foods with “good” unsaturated fats, limit foods high in saturated fat, and avoid “bad” trans fat.