Fat Transfers

The transfer of fat has been refined and is delivering very promising results.

Fat cannot merely be transferred by simply injecting it into another area. The fat needs to be harvested, processed and then “reinjected”/layered into the recipient area.

Complete fat survival is unfortunately not guaranteed and further fat fills may be required should the desired amount of fat not be attained. (In most large fat transfers i.e. for breast reconstructions and post mastectomy defects – two or three fat transfers are usually necessary).

Fat is harvested as evenly as possible from areas of localised fat deposits. The procedure is usually a day case procedure and is performed under general anaesthetic or local anaesthetic/conscious sedation.

There is usually quite marked swelling and bruising post-operatively and this therefore requires time before the result is apparent.

An added advantage of fat transfer is the fact that the fat contains a rich source of stem cells. These stem cells have resulted in marked improvement in the tissue quality of the area injected. This has been particularly noticeable, clinically, when injected into radiated tissue. Scientific evidence in this regard is being accumulated.

Fat grafting as a means of complete breast reconstruction is also an option for breast reconstruction, but needs to be discussed at your consultation.

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