Consultation

During your consultation, you will discuss cosmetic goals and the procedure details with the doctor who considers multiple factors to determine if you’re a good candidate for the surgery. The surgeon will conduct a physical examination and review areas to be contoured and examine the areas to extract fat for transfer.

In addition, the doctor will check whether you’re in good overall health or have excess fat in a part of the body which is easily accessible. If you smoke, the doctor will ask to quit smoking for an extended period before and after the procedure and during recovery. The consultation will also help the doctor see if you have realistic expectations and are of free of health issues that might interfere with healing.

Surgery

Fat Transfer surgery can be performed on either outpatient or an inpatient basis depending upon the type of procedure. The surgery lasts between one to three hours and involves four steps:

• Anesthesia: Fat transfer surgery is performed under a local, IV anesthesia, or general anesthesia depending on whether small or large volumes of fat extraction are involved.
• Liposuction: Liposuction is used to remove fat from the chosen donor site and the extracted fat cells are then cleansed and processed to get them ready for the transfer.
• Purification: The purified fat will be gradually injected (in small quantity) throughout the areas where augmentation is desired.
• Fat Injection: The purified fat will then be injected in small amounts to the area one wants to augment.

Post Surgery

Fat transfer surgery recovery is nearly painless with barely noticeable incisions and punctures. It generally takes seven days for most patients to return to work while you can resume normal activities in about two weeks. You may experience slight discomfort in the areas where fat was taken or added but this can be managed with medication. There may be some swelling or bruising which will subside in a week or two.

After Care

In order to have successful long-lasting results it is important to follow the below:

• You should take the pain medication and antibiotics only as prescribed by the surgeon.
• Avoid taking any aspiring or any anti-inflammatory compounds two weeks before or after the surgery.
• You may use ice packs and compress to minimize swelling.
• Vigorous exercise such as lifting, or straining is forbidden for at least three weeks post-surgery.
• It is important to attend your follow-up appointments in order to track your progress.