Fat transfer: what to look out for:

• Liposuction and fat grafting should be performed by a qualified specialist plastic surgeon; plenty of doctors pose as ‘surgeons’ to attract patients but have not undergone the Australian Medical board-recognised training required to obtain this qualification.
• Like all surgery, this procedure carries risks and it’s important to entrust your body to a qualified specialist surgeon.
• See if your doctor is a qualified specialist surgeon by using the surgeon finder here.

• Fat transfer can increase fat volume in specific areas of the body.
• Fat transfer uses the body’s natural tissue
• Patients sometimes choose to undergo several fat transfer treatments over the course of a year, to obtain the desired results
• Where clinically indicated, fat transfer can be combined with other procedures such as breast augmentation

All surgery carries risks but due to the nature of transplanting cells in the body, the outcome of grafting is not as predictable as other cosmetic procedure and therefore complications or unsatisfactory results are sometimes unavoidable. This may necessitate additional surgery. During the pre operative consultation process it’s important that you discuss any history of depression or mental health disorders. If you are unsure whether your history is relevant, please mention it anyway. Although most patients benefit psychologically from the results of elective cosmetic surgery, the effects on mental health can never be predicted if your surgery does not yield the results you were hoping for, and could possibly have a negative influence on your mental health.

You may experience some temporary oozing of fluid; sometimes drains will be placed during surgery and removed 1-3 days after when the oozing has reduced. Discomfort, a burning sensation, redness, swelling or bruising is common but usually well managed with the post operative care tools we provide. Swelling can take months to subside, so patience is vital while your results reveal themselves.

Infection, contour irregularities, delayed healing, chronic pain, fat necrosis (fat death) are the most common risks – but there are others, which will be provided to you in writing before undertaking surgery and discussed during your surgical consultations. Following your postoperative instructions closely, will help you reduce the chance of complications occurring.

While rare when performed under ideal clinical circumstances, fat embolism is the most serious complication of fat transfer. In extreme cases, it can cause death.

Most patients require 1-2 weeks off work after surgery, and 6 weeks of strictly no activity, pressure on the area or lifting over 2kg. If complications occur, healing and recovery periods can be extended. It’s important to consider how this may impact your work, leisure activities, exercise and mental health.

Possible complications of surgery in general include:

• Acute medical event such as stoke, heart attack, pneumonia
• The need for revision or further surgery 
• Pain which does not respond to pain relief 
• Nerve damage, causing altered sensation or loss of sensation – temporary or permanent
• Haematoma (collection of blood), oedema (collection of fluid) and abscess 
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolisms (PE)
• Damage or or loss of loose teeth during placement of anaesthetic apparatus
• Sore throat, swelling or discomfort following placement of breathing tubes during anaesthetic 
• Breathing difficulties following anaesthetic
• Allergic reaction to medication 
• Allergic reaction to sutures, dressings, tapes or intraoperative solutions
• Heavy bleeding from the wound, which may require further surgery
• Poor or slow skin healing, wound infection, breakdown or necrosis (skin death)
• Wound dehiscence (incision separation)
• Fat necrosis (fat that has not survived the liposuction or transplantation process)
• Adverse scarring
• Psychological impact of surgery, recovery or altered appearance
• Death

After 6-12 weeks you will begin to see your results emerge. Not all of the transferred fat will survive. If fat survives the first 6 months post surgery, it will be permanent. Remember fat cells can enlarge when you gain weight or shrink when you lose weight, but the number of cells does not change once the fat ‘takes’ to its new home.

During the early healing stage, some of the grafted fat will not survive, and your surgeon will discuss this with you during your pre op consultations.

It can be difficult to accurately predict how much fat will survive, and so this ‘unknown’ aspect of the surgery needs to be carefully considered before a patient undertakes the procedure, especially if they are seeking a specific outcome.

Fat survival rates can vary but it is important to remember that following your post op instructions, abstaining from smoking, using compression garments, undertaking lymphatic drainage massage and adhering to a healthy diet will provide an optimal recovery.

• Often with ageing, individuals start losing fat from underneath the skin, giving them a tired appearance.
• Fat transfer or sculpting allows the individual to have a more volumised skin.
• Fat transfer is helpful for reconstruction purposes, cosmetic purposes and certain types of scars and contour deformities.
• Fat grafting can be used to restore volume loss in your breast, buttocks and face, as well as improving skin condition on other parts of your body. Dr Sharp also performs fat grafting in conjunction with breast augmentation surgery.

The fat transfer procedure may be performed under local or general anaesthetic depending on the extent of the procedure.

The area from which the fat needs to be removed is known as the donor site. The recipient site is the area where the fat is injected back into the body.

Both donor site and recipient site are cleansed before surgery and numbed with a local anaesthetic. Fluid is injected into the area to help make the extraction of fat less traumatic for the area. A syringe with a small cannula is then used to extract the fat through a small incision in the donor site.

Once the fat is removed, it is separated from the fluid and re-injected into the recipient site – watch this process here. A pressure dressing and compression garment is applied to the donor site after the procedure.

When performed under the right conditions by a qualified plastic surgeon in an appropriate facility, fat transfer is considered to be a safe procedure. Fat necrosis and fat embolism are the two most serious complications of fat grafting; please talk to your surgeon about the steps s/he takes to reduce this risk and monitor your post operative recovery.

Complications from fat grafting may require further procedures to remove fat necrosis or treat contour deformities. 

You will have some swelling, pain and bruising; the products we provide in your complimentary post operative care bag will assist with your healing. The area will be tender and pain relief will be prescribed to keep you comfortable.

Tenderness and unusual sensations can be experienced for weeks or even months after the surgery as your nerves regenerate and swelling subsides.

You might be required to wear compression or support garments for 6 weeks after surgery. Avoid strenuous activity for 6 weeks; this includes exercise, spa baths and submerging the operative sites in public pools etc to reduce your risk of infection.

All surgery carries risks but due to the nature of transplanting cells in the body, the outcome of grafting is not as predictable as other cosmetic procedure and therefore complications or unsatisfactory results are sometimes unavoidable. This may necessitate additional surgery.

During the pre operative consultation process it’s important that you discuss any history of depression or mental health disorders. If you are unsure whether your history is relevant, please mention it anyway.

Although most patients benefit from the results of elective cosmetic surgery, the effects on mental health can never be predicted if your surgery does not yield the results you were hoping for, and could possibly have a negative influence on your mental wellbeing.

You may experience some temporary oozing of fluid; sometimes drains will be placed during surgery and removed 1-3 days after when the oozing has reduced. Discomfort, a burning sensation, redness, swelling or bruising is common but usually well managed with the post operative care tools we provide. Swelling can take months to subside, so patience is vital while your results reveal themselves.

Infection, contour irregularities, delayed healing, chronic pain, fat necrosis (fat death) are the most common risks – but there are others, which will be provided to you in writing before undertaking surgery and discussed during your surgical consultations. Following your postoperative instructions closely, will help you reduce the chance of complications occurring.

While rare when performed under ideal clinical circumstances, fat embolism is the most serious complication of fat transfer. In extreme cases, it can cause death.

Most patients require 1-2 weeks off work after surgery, and 6 weeks of strictly no activity, pressure on the area or lifting over 2kg. If complications occur, healing and recovery periods can be extended. It’s important to consider how this may impact your work, leisure activities, exercise and mental health.