The Fat Injection procedure is the removal of fat from areas of the body with excess fat by liposuction, and then injecting it into areas where volume deficiency is observed such as your face, hands, legs, chest or hips after preparation.
This safe, long-lasting, well-tolerated procedure provides natural-looking results. Thousands of people successfully undergo Fat Injection each year and are satisfied with the results.
When Should Fat Injection Be Considered?
If you have facial areas that look wrinkled
If you want a more permanent fix than that provided by temporary fillings
To rejuvenate your hands and face
For use in breast reconstruction, to fill contour irregularities or to more naturalize the edge appearance of silicone breast prostheses that may be evident in thin patients.
Advantages
Unlike dermal fillers, autologous fat (from your own body) allows the lack of volume in the needed areas to be filled with "more similar tissue" and reduces the possibility of an allergic reaction to foreign substances.
Fat injection results are natural, long-lasting and safe.
Fat injection is a minimally invasive method to achieve facial rejuvenation.
It is possible to apply higher volumes of filler with fat injection.
Disadvantages
Although it is longer lasting than dermal fillers, the cost of fat injection is higher.
Since the injected fats can be partially melted, there is a possibility of asymmetry and reprocessing may be required.
The larger the amount of adipose tissue injected proportionally to the unit area, the higher the possibility of the filling not to hold and the fat to melt.
In augmentation applications, more than one session may be required to achieve the desired breast or hip size.
These are the most important advantages and disadvantages that should be evaluated when considering autologous fat injection. Please consult your plastic surgeon for the most ideal solutions specific to you.
Are you a good candidate for fat injection?
The purpose of fat injection is to enlarge or fill volume deficient areas. It is also used to increase the quality and volume of the skin where it is applied by making use of the stem cells in its content.
Commonly injected areas include hands, face (including lips), skin depressions, and chest and buttocks.
-For this procedure, of course, the patient should have suitable body areas where fat can be removed, that is, the patient should not be extremely weak or athletic. Even if the patient is a first-degree relative, the adipose tissue taken from someone else cannot be used in another person.
Common areas to gain fat include the belly and waist (love handles), back arms and hips, and thighs.
- It is important that you do not have any blood circulation problems due to a medical condition or smoking.
-Percent Fat injection: If you have facial wrinkles such as smile lines and crow's feet, fat can be removed from the abdomen, thighs or other areas and injected into your face. Acne scars and sunken areas of the face, lips and cheeks can also be filled. Your plastic surgeon may use fat injection to minimize lines between the nose and mouth (nasolabial grooves), smooth skin indentations, and minimize forehead wrinkles.
-Breast enlargement: If you desire a modest increase in breast size, you are a good candidate for a breast augmentation, but your breasts should already have a nice shape and a good skin tone. If you have weak skin, saggy breasts or want a significant increase in breast size, breast augmentation with fat injection is not for you. The problem with using only adipose tissue for breast augmentation is the need to obtain, predictably, very large volumes of adipose tissue.
-Breast implants and Fat injection: Fat injection can be useful if your breast shape needs to be optimized during a breast implant procedure.
- If you have breast irregularities after undergoing breast augmentation with implants, a smooth contour (edge) and an optimal shape can be obtained by filling the irregularities with fat.
-Breast reconstruction with fat injection: If you have breast defects after lumpectomy (partial removal of the breast) for breast cancer, Fat injection is an effective method to fill in these defects. Fat injection is also an option for total breast reconstruction after mastectomy; however, to achieve adequate breast volume this is usually a multi-step procedure that requires at least two to four consecutive Fat injections.
-Fat injection hip augmentation: Many people who want a fuller, rounder hip will opt for the "Brazilian butt lift", which uses autologous Fat injection for a curvier butt without an implant. Liposuction is the method used both to shape the surrounding area and to collect the autologous fat to be injected.
-Hand rejuvenation with Fat injection: Fat injection into your hands is effective for adding volume, "plumping" the wrinkled areas, closing the underlying veins and tendons, and improving the quality of your skin over time.
As in every plastic surgery;
- If your general health is good,
-If you have a positive impression of the procedure and process after being informed in detail about the procedure and you have realistic expectations about the results,
- If you have enough time and patience to return to daily routines, return to social life and working life after the recovery process (usually 7-10 days in plastic surgeries),
- If you are financially able,
you are a good candidate for this procedure.
How is fat injection done?
With liposuction, fat is removed from one or more parts of your body, washed and purified from blood, and then carefully re-injected into the areas that need augmentation with specially designed needles or cannulas.
It may be necessary to repeat the oil grafting process several times to achieve the desired result.
Fat grafting can be explained as a three-step process:
(1) Gathering (Harvesting)
(2) Preparation (Purification)
(3) Insertion (Injection)
Collection (Harvesting): Before the surgery, millimetric incision(s) will be made in the areas (one or two per area) where fat will be taken, agreed with your surgeon, and fat from the areas using a cannula (2-4mm thick tubes) connected to a syringe (or aspiration device). will be collected to form as homogeneous tunnels as possible.
Purification: After sufficient amount of fat has been removed from the donor area, your surgeon will prepare the fat tissues for transfer to small syringes to be used for injection. At this stage, centrifugation is applied to the aspirate obtained and it is aimed to purify the fat tissues by removing them from blood, connective tissues, etc. from other aspirate content. In addition, purification can be carried out by filtering through filters.
Placement: The prepared and thinned adipose tissues are first created by advancing the needle or cannula to the previously planned areas, and then injected into the natural tissue planes at each retraction. This process is repeated until the desired is achieved. Some surgeons recommend massaging the grafted areas to create a satisfying contour. Others prefer to rely on the placement technique to create the proper contour. The surgeon may also place a dressing or bandage over the grafted area.
The aim of your aesthetic plastic surgeon and our entire team is to help you achieve the most beautiful and natural-looking results, as well as to make your surgical experience as easy and comfortable as possible.
What will my cuts and scars be like for fat injection?
Your only scar may result from liposuction used to remove fat from the donor area. Since the liposuction incisions are small, the scars are also small and are placed in hidden areas or in the crease areas where they will be less noticeable. Sometimes the incisions cannot be hidden, depending on the location of the fat deposits on your body. The amount or degree of scarring is primarily dependent on your genetic tendencies and is also influenced by the surgeon's technique. Most liposuction scars fade and become barely perceptible or not noticeable over time. Visible small scars are more likely when large liposuction cannulas are used and in patients with darkly pigmented skin. While there are usually no obvious scars after liposuction, there are two types of scars that can remain on the skin in some predisposed people. One is a true scar, and the other is a dark (hyperpigmented) or light (hypopigmented) area on the skin, namely a dyschromic area.
Your first meeting appointment
During your first meeting, you will have the opportunity to discuss what you want. Your surgeon will evaluate you as a Fat injection candidate and will clarify what fat injection can do for you. Once the surgeon understands your goals, they can recommend additional or related procedures. It is important to be completely honest during the consultation. Bring a few photos of yourself from an earlier age; they can serve as a good reference point for discussing your goals.
It is important that the following questions are answered at the initial examination.
-Do you have any medical conditions or drug allergies?
-Are you being treated for any medical condition?
-Have you ever had an operation before?
-What are your current medications, vitamins and herbal supplements that you use regularly?
-Do you currently use alcohol, tobacco or drugs?
-Do you have a history of any cosmetic procedures?
What kind of result do you expect from the surgery?
-What is your biggest motivation for fat injection?
Your surgeon will also:
- He/she evaluates and discusses the details with you about the areas you want to process in front of the mirror so that you can see.
-Takes photos for your medical record, can measure relevant areas and show you sample patient photos.
-Assess your health status, including pre-existing health conditions or risk factors.
- Evaluates the elasticity of your skin.
-Discusses your options and tells you possible outcomes and other details, including risks or potential complications.
- It also informs you about the type of anesthesia to be used.
-Associated risks and complications,
- Options where anesthesia and surgery will take place,
- Requirements to prepare for the surgery,
- Provides information about what is expected and what needs to be done in the first days after the surgery and answers your questions. In this way, by having more detailed information, you can make a healthier and more accurate decision about whether or not to have surgery.
Questions to ask your plastic surgeon
It is important for you to take an active role in your surgery, so please use this list of questions as a starting point for your initial consultation.
Am I a good candidate for fat injection?
Are the results I want reasonable and realistic?
Do you have pre and post fat injection photos that I can look at for this procedure?
Where will you have my fat injection surgery and how long will it take?
Will my scars be visible?
What kind of anesthesia would you recommend me?
What are the costs associated with my procedure?
What do you expect from me to get the best results?
What recovery period can I expect and when can I resume normal activities?
What are the risks and complications associated with my procedure?
What are my alternative options if the fat injection procedure does not meet my aesthetic demands?
How do I prepare for the fat injection process?
Your surgeon will provide comprehensive preoperative instructions, answer any questions you may have, take a detailed medical history and perform a physical examination to determine your suitability for this procedure.
-Your surgeon can take photos before the procedure. Regardless of the type of surgery to be performed, it is very important to stay hydrated (drink water) and avoid smoking before and after the surgery for safe recovery and best results.
Before your procedure, your surgeon will ask you to:
-Stop smoking at least six weeks before the procedure to prevent poor wound healing and scarring.
-Avoid taking aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs: Advil, Motrin, Aleve) and vitamins/homeopathic regimens that can increase bleeding.
- Drink plenty of fluids before and after surgery for a safe recovery (Hydration).
What happens on the day of surgery?
-Your fat injection procedure can be performed in an accredited hospital or in an office-based operating room.
-The length of your procedure depends on how much fat is removed and the number of liposuction sites.
-Obviously, the procedure time will also be shorter, as you will need much less fat for face filling than for enlarging your breasts or hips.
- You will receive medicines to make you as comfortable as possible. Local anesthesia and intravenous sedation are often used in patients undergoing fat injection, but general anesthesia may be required sometimes.
-For your safety during the operation, various monitors are used to control your heart, blood pressure, pulse and the amount of oxygen circulating in your blood.
- Your plastic surgeon will follow the surgical plan discussed with you prior to your fat injection procedure.
-Once the procedure has begun, he may decide to combine several techniques or modify one technique to achieve the best result.
It's important that you feel comfortable and trust your doctor to make these decisions.
-After your procedure, you will be taken to a recovery area where you will continue to be closely monitored.
-You may be wearing a compression garment (corset) over your liposuction area to help "shrink" the skin.
Many patients say that the area feels sore, as if they have done a vigorous exercise, but within 3-5 days these pains are greatly reduced.
- Blood pressure, fever, pulse, etc. related to the follow-up of your health for post-surgery. If there are no abnormalities with your parameters, you will probably be allowed to go home after a short observation period.
After Care and Recovery
Ask your doctor how long it will take before you can return to your daily routine and work.
After surgery, you and your companion will receive detailed instructions on your post-operative care.
How will I look and feel after fat injection?
Recovery from fat injections is variable, and the perception of this recovery is even more variable.
-Some general recovery information on Facial Fat Injection:
* Swelling and bruising during the first week are evident and the image may interfere with your socialization.
* In the second week, the bruises start to go away, but there is still swelling. In most cases there is a big change between the seventh and tenth days, but you still may not be ready to go to public places.
*Up to the third week, the improvement will be more and you will be able to socialize.
*Careful makeup application can help camouflage any signs of swelling or bruising residue. You will be able to notice the changes once the swelling has subsided, but mild swelling may persist for weeks.
How Permanent Are the Results?
You can expect the areas where the fat is transferred to appear softer and fuller, giving you a refreshed and rejuvenated appearance.
You may even notice an improvement in skin texture.
The survival of the fat and the longevity of the results depend on the skill of the surgeon, how the fat is collected and purified, how and where it is injected, and patients follow the recommendations during the post-procedure recovery period. A process called microfat grafting, although labor intensive, is the best way to ensure the highest percentage of viable fat is removed. When done successfully, the injected fat creates a new blood supply from your body and gets the nutrients it needs to survive. When this happens, the results can and often are permanent; however, fat loss and touch-up procedures may still be necessary.
Keep in touch with your aesthetic plastic surgeon.
For safety and the most beautiful and healthy result, it is important to contact your plastic surgeon for evaluation at the specified times and when you have any questions about the results.
Limitations and Risks
Fortunately, major complications from Fat injection are rare. This procedure is usually performed without any major problems. The risks and possible complications of the surgery are an issue that you should discuss during the consultation. The risks in most surgeries are similar.
Some of the possible complications of all plastic surgeries include:
- Adverse reaction to anesthesia
-Hematoma or seroma
-Infection
-Scar
-Allergic reactions
-Damage in important forms (nerve etc.)
-Unsatisfactory results that may require additional procedures