Fat Transfer

What is Fat Transfer?

This is a procedure, whereby a small quantity of fat is removed from the buttock, thigh or abdomen and injected into deep lines in the face. It is most commonly used for the deep creases between the mouth and nose (naso-labial folds) but can also be used to plump lips and depressed scars.

The advantage of a fat transfer procedure is that the fat is naturally occurring within the body and therefore will not result in any untoward reactions. It is particularly good for people who are allergic to other injectables or who don't like the idea of having a foreign substance used on them.

A percentage of the fat transferred will be reabsorbed by the body, therefore, to achieve a good result the doctor has to over-correct the area. This will result in obvious swelling for a few weeks and quite possibly some bruising. The patient will requires some down time, in terms of work or social commitments, until the area has settled.

30% of the fat will disappear in the first 2 - 3 days, another 30-40% will disappear in the next few months and about 30% will stay permanently. The other factor to take into consideration is that the area from where the fat is taken (the donor site) will be tender and bruised for several days.

Fat injected into the upper lip will certainly plump up the lip, but will not result in a clearly defined border. If this is the look you want then you may have to consider another form of injectable, such as collagen.

The fat transfer procedure may need to be repeated several times to achieve the desired result. It will not work for everybody and there is no way of predicting this ahead of time. 

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