Fat Transfer: Understanding the Risks and Benefits

Say you’re considering ways to slim down your belly through a liposuction procedure but, at the same time, you’ve often imagined augmenting areas like your lips, breasts, or face.

Could a surgeon simply take the excess fat from one area of your body and transport it to another? For some patients, this is possible through a procedure called fat transfer.

However, the fat transfer procedure itself can be complicated, and not without its challenges. If you’re considering fat transfer for yourself or a loved one, it’s important to understand the steps involved in the procedure, the potential challenges, and the possible risks before deciding whether it’s right for you.

What is a Fat Transfer?

Simply put, fat transfer is exactly what it sounds like. You take the fat from one area of your body and put it somewhere else.

Say you’re already looking into ways to achieve your ideal body shape through a procedure like liposuction, which removes fat from areas of your body where fat has built up over time. In many cases, that fat would be disposed of by your surgeon.

If you’ve been considering an additional body transformation procedure—say, a minor breast or lip augmentation or smoothing out bumps from a previous graft procedure—your surgeon may be able to take that fat removed during liposuction and put it elsewhere on your body.

What Are the Pros and Cons of a Fat Transfer?

By utilizing the fat your body has already produced elsewhere on your figure, fat transfer allows you to remove fat where you don’t want it and, possibly, put it to use in augmenting or enlarging other areas of the body.

Because you’re using your natural body fat to fill in other areas, a fat transfer may reduce the need for synthetic materials and other fillers to achieve your desired look. That may allow you and your surgeon to save time and, in some cases, reduce the amount of surgical time needed to achieve your desired look.

However, there are some notable disadvantages to choosing a fat transfer. In some cases, fat moved from one area of the body to another can naturally dissipate over time. This can leave your newly augmented areas looking uneven or bumpy and may require future surgery to correct these natural changes.

In some cases, transplanted fat cells may also die after being transferred, which could lead to necrosis. Cysts, infection, and microcalcification of fat cells have also been reported as a result of fat transfer procedures, which can further disrupt your body image and may require medical attention to remedy.

How is a Fat Transfer Procedure Performed?

Usually, a surgeon will follow several steps to remove fat from your body — often through liposuction—and get it ready for transfer to the new area.

1. Removal of the fat from your belly or elsewhere on your body through liposuction, usually aided by anesthetic
2. Purification of the fat cells for transfer, often using a centrifuge to spin the fat or a filtration method to remove impurities before transfer
3. The placement of the fat into the areas where you’d like augmentation, usually using a needle or cannula that is inserted into the target area multiple times until the ideal shape and fullness is achieved

One of the most important things to remember about a fat transfer is that it’s as much an art as it is a science. A skilled surgeon performing a fat transfer must utilize skill and precision to remove the fat accurately and place it into the target areas effectively to make sure everything looks natural.

Failure to accurately or safely place fat back into the body may lead to negative side effects or an uneven appearance. A patient should feel fully confident in their surgeon’s ability and experience before undergoing a fat transfer procedure.

Can Anyone Undergo a Fat Transfer?

Yes and no. While the procedure of removing and transferring fat can be relatively simple, a fat transfer may only be the right option depending on an individual’s unique situation.

In most cases, a fat transfer may be advantageous for individuals focused on:

• Reducing belly fat or fat from other areas of the body
• Facial augmentation to fill crow’s feet, laugh lines, or other smile lines and wrinkles
• Filling in areas like hands and feet, where wrinkles can be common
• Adding shape and size to hips and buttocks
• Plumping lips for a fuller look
• Breast augmentation to fill in sagging breasts or to increase breast size

Provided you are healthy and are working with a skilled surgeon, fat transfer might be an option for achieving your dream body shape by reducing fat where you don’t want it and increasing size or firmness where you do.

However, it’s important to have realistic expectations going into a fat transfer procedure. Typically, fat transfer for procedures like breast or lip augmentation is limited to minor adjustments. Anyone looking for a substantial enlargement of breast size might want to consider another option depending on the desired outcome.

Possible Side Effects from A Fat Transfer

It’s essential to keep in mind that fat transfer uses natural material—namely, your body’s own fat—and that some of that fat can naturally dissipate during the healing process. Therefore, it’s recommended that patients keep movement and pressure on these areas to a minimum after the procedure to ensure the fat can stabilize in its new position.

Also, many patients experience the typical redness, bruising, and swelling after the procedure has been completed. This will usually go away after a few days, but it’s a good idea to take it easy until the healing process is complete.

Before Scheduling a Fat Transfer, Understand The Risks and Benefits

If you’ve already had your sights set on toning your tummy with liposuction, you might also be considering making those other body shape improvements you’ve been dreaming about.

But before you decide to move forward with a fat transfer, it’s a good idea to consult with a trusted surgeon and fully understand your options—and the inherent risks—involved in the procedure.