The human body is prone to storing fat cells in areas that don’t always align with an individual sense of aesthetics. It’s common for patients seeking cosmetic alterations to voice concerns when fat accumulations tend to linger around the abdomen when they would prefer a body contoured with increased size in the buttock or breasts. For many patients, pockets of stubborn fat cells are the result of a genetic predisposition. In these cases, there is often no amount of diet or exercise that would successfully diminish the fat in these areas or increase fat in a desired area of the body.
For patients looking to reduce and recontour their physique, fat transfer liposuction has long been a safe and effective cosmetic solution. This relatively quick procedure allows a trained and certified physician to remove fat through liposuction from one area of the body and safely transfer it to another where increased volume is desired. While there are a variety of benefits for patients that elect fat transfer liposuction, the majority go this route due to the fact that the procedure allows for gentle and rather painless fat harvesting as well as a way to sculpt the body using only local anesthesia.
Understanding Fat Transfer Liposuction
Fat transfer liposuction is a two-part procedure that combines the safe removal of fat from one area and reinjecting it at another point. In the comfort of the attending physician’s office, the patient will be treated with a local anesthetic to numb the area where fat cells will be removed. While laser and ultrasound liposuction techniques are available to patients, many physicians choose to utilize tumescent liposuction during this procedure. Tumescent liposuction allows for the use of gentle maneuvers, a small cannula, and diluted local anesthetic to cause swelling under the skin which makes fat cell removal swift and safe. For many patients, fat cells will initially be removed by liposuction from areas such as the stomach, hips, and thighs.
The second step in the fat transfer liposuction process is to reinject the removed fat cells into a new area of the body. While this differs from patient to patient depending on contour preference, many individuals request transfers in the cheeks, buttocks or breasts.
Enhancement to the Face and Cheeks
As the human body naturally ages, collagen, elastin and fat deposits that reside in the facial area decrease. As these levels drop, it’s common for fine lines, wrinkles and sagging to appear. These changes often result in an appearance that is aged beyond actual years. Fat transfers can be highly beneficial for patients looking to restore volume to their face and cheeks in particular. While fillers are always an option as a solution for these issues, many patients prefer fat transfers as it utilizes their own fat cells, reducing any risk of an allergic reaction. Additionally, fat transfers are a permanent solution where fillers require frequent replacement sessions.
*Actual Patient – Individual Results May Vary
The Benefits of Fat Transfer to Face
Fat transfer to face procedures are a great solution fill volume in our face, which can lose 1-5 cc of volume every year. You can replace the volume loss with temporary fillers that last up to a year, but this gets expensive fast, as the fillers cost $600 to $1,000 per cc, which can add up to as much as $3,000 – $5,000 a year. Fat transfer is not priced by volume, so you can transfer as much fat, the ultimate filler, as you want or need. This helpful procedure allows you to attain a more youthful look by plumping up your cheeks and lips. This procedure can target wrinkles, crow’s feet, sunken cheeks, tired-looking facial features, and frown and worry lines. Fat transfers to the face can even combat under eye bags and dark circles on rare occasions. Even though fat transfers to the face may take longer during the procedure than dermal fillers, they have longer-lasting results that hold firm for years—possibly permanently.
Risks Associated with Fat Transfer to Face
As with any cosmetic procedure, there are certain risks associated with fat transfers to the face. Even highly experienced surgeons find it difficult to predict the rate of fat cell death after these procedures. By placing your trust in a qualified professional, you can ensure that your surgeon will be highly trained in these procedures and lower your risk of any complications.
Buttock Enhancement
The majority of patients that elect a fat transfer to increase the size of the buttocks will have cells harvested from the abdomen or flank to provide sufficient cells for contouring. This type of augmentation is now a common procedure and is recognized by many under the name Brazilian Butt Lift.
Breast Enhancement with Fat Transfer
Patients looking to increase the size or enhance the fullness of their breasts are more frequently turning to fat transfer solutions. Much like buttock enhancements, the benefit of a fat transfer to this area of the body is the use of a patient’s own fat cells. Not only does this reduce any risk associated with implants, but many patients feel it provides a much more natural-looking result as well.
A Journey to Change
Changes in the body are natural, but when those changes cause fluctuations in self-esteem or you’re looking to contour your physique to a shape that more closely reflects how you feel, there are a variety of solutions waiting. If you’re considering the many benefits of fat transfer liposuction, Dr. Wright and his team at the St. Louis Laser Liposuction Center can help. With years of experience to bring to each procedure, we’re here to make sure you enjoy a comfortable and safe cosmetic experience that delivers up results you can feel excited about.
The first step when considering fat transfer liposuction is to schedule an initial consultation with Dr. Wright. Our team is proud to offer a comprehensive approach to patient care and an initial consultation sets aside important time for you to discuss your concerns, voice preferences and ask any questions you may have prior to putting a personalized treatment plan into place. Dr. Wright performs a thorough health exam and takes every patient concern into the highest priority before moving forward with any type of treatment. Similarly, we recognize that cosmetic care is closely linked to emotional well-being. We take both seriously and encourage our patients to have open and honest conversations surrounding your physical and emotional goals through the cosmetic alteration process. We look forward to working with you as you begin your journey to change!
Fat Transfer FAQs
Answer
So you are actually asking about two different surgical procedures. A tummy tuck or Abdominoplasty is an open surgery that involves the excision of the lower half of the skin and fat on the stomach, then pulling down the skin from the upper half of the stomach and re-attachment of the skin from your upper half your stomach to the top of your groin area has a pretty long recovery and sometimes requires a drain to be placed in your abdomen. The surgery leaves a large scar on your lower abdomen – groin border. Tummy Tucks range in cost $6,000 -13, 000. The lower cost for the surgery is when it is done in an office setting or it is done in a foreign country or done by an inexperienced surgeon. A tummy tuck does not involve liposuction or harvesting fat for fat transfer.
Liposuction with fat transfer is a procedure that is less invasive than a tummy tuck and involves making a small puncture in the skin and suctioning the fat. Once the fat is collected it can be transferred into the buttocks, this is called a BBL. Liposuction combined with fat transfer usually costs between $5000 – $9000, the lower cost is for smaller people and when it is done by an inexperienced surgeon. The two procedures can be done separately or can be combined. Combing the two procedures together increases the risk of complications and increases the cost, but there may be some cost-saving with combing the two procedures.
