Fat grafting is commonly performed in combination with surgical body contouring procedures to augment the breast, buttocks, and hips. This aesthetic plastic surgery procedure will reshape and define your contours while eliminating unwanted fat.
Body contouring refers to a variety of procedures used to tone the body and enhance contours. Some of these procedures include arm, body, or thigh lifts, and tummy tucks. Body contouring with fat grafting is a great way to restore or add volume to certain areas like the buttocks or breasts while slimming down other areas where excess fat is unwanted. The fat grafting procedure can be used to inject fat cells into the breasts, buttocks, or hips to add volume and enhance your curves.
First, liposuction is performed to harvest fat from the abdomen, abdomen, or buttocks – depending on which area you have an excess supply of fat. The harvested fat is purified and processed to separate excess fluid and dead cells from the adipose fat cells before those cells are injected into the desired area. When injected into the breasts, fat grafts can correct breast asymmetry, correct scars, and increase the breast size up to cup size. Fat grafts on the buttocks are also called a Brazilian butt lift and this is done to create a lifted, rounded backside. Some women choose to have fat grafts on their hips to create a more feminine contour with a proportionate waist-to-hip ratio.
Patients who have recently undergone significant weight loss or given birth may be a candidate for body contouring procedures. However, patients with excess skin as a result of their weight loss will need an excision or removal of the skin before receiving liposuction and body contouring procedures. Since fat tissue is taken from your own body, there is no risk of an allergic reaction, and the results will look natural.
After a body contouring procedure with fat grafting or a fat transfer, bruising, swelling, and soreness in both the donor and treated areas are common. You may be given a compression garment to wear since this will control the swelling and help your body heal. Pain medication will also be prescribed to alleviate any discomfort.
Recovery time varies depending on the size of the treatment area and whether surgical excisions were used during your body contouring procedure. You should expect to take at least 2 weeks to rest and recover, although you may be able to return to work and start doing minimal activities earlier. A more accurate timeline can be determined at your surgical consultation.