Fat grafting

What is fat grafting?

Fat grafting, also known as autologous fat transfer or lipofilling, where fat is taken from one part of the body (often from areas where it’s unwanted, like the abdomen or thighs) and injected into another area where more volume or contouring is desired. It’s commonly used in procedures like breast reconstruciton, breast augmentation and facial rejuvenation.

The procedure begins with liposuction to harvest fat from the donor site(s). The harvested fat is then processed and purified to remove excess fluids and impurities. Once purified, the fat is injected in small aliquots (usually 1-2 mililitres at a time) into the desired area, where it integrates with the existing tissue to augment the desired area.

Where can I have fat grafted to?

Fat grafting can be performed anywhere on the body. Common sites include breasts and face. It does require harvesting of fat from elsewhere on the body so if you are very slim it may be difficult to get a significant volume of fat to make a difference. We discuss this in detail at your consultation.

Why use fat instead of implants?

Breast augmentation and breast reconstruction with fat grafting offers several benefits, including:

1. Natural-looking results: Since the fat used for the graft comes from the patient’s own body, it results in a more natural appearance and feel.
2. Minimal scarring: Fat grafting involves small incisions for liposuction and injection, which typically result in significantly less scarring compared to traditional breast reconstruction techniques.
3. Simultaneous body contouring: Liposuction used to harvest fat for the grafting can also contour the donor site(s), providing additional aesthetic benefits.
4. Reduced risk of complications: Because the procedure uses the patient’s own tissue, there is a lower risk of complications such as rejection or allergic reactions.

Can I combine fat grafting and other procedures?

Yes, potentially any procedure that involves liposuction can be combined with fat grafting as we can process the fat harvested and utilise it to fat graft other places on the body. It takes longer to harvest the fat for grafting than to dispose of it therefore there is increased cost. We are happy to discuss these at your consultation.

The procedure

Fat needs to be harvested and processed before it is injected. This involves using liposuction to collect the fat and a series of steps to remove unwanted fluid and purify the fat for injection.

The steps are:

• Make small stab incisions <10mm over predetermined donor sites -commonly abdomen and thighs
• Insert a liposuction cannula tube
• Suction the fat
• Transfer the fat to special syringes for processing
• Syringes are spun in a centrifuge to separate out excess fluid and remove impurities
• The fat is then moved to another type of syringe via a filter to break it down into smaller pieces
• The fat is now ready for injection

Once processed, small stab incisions are made near to the desired areas for injection, usually only 5mm or less in diameter.

Locations for thes incisions are designed to be hidden and cause minimal scarring. Examples of these locations are:

• Breast – the crease below the breast
• Forehead – hariline or outside of the eyebrow
• Cheeks – natural crease lines including the nasolabial fold
• Chin  – just underneath the jaw

What impacts fat survival or ‘take’

Fat grafting has a variable amount of success. Not all the fat will “take”.  Every stage of the process impacts outcome:

• Fat quality – Not all fat is created equal. Fat has varying degrees of quality which can impact take. We cannot predict your fat type before harvesting it during the liposuction.
• Fat harvest – The low powered suction via Water Assited Liposuction (WAL) that Dr Brooks uses minimises damage to the fat
• Fat processing –  We filter and process that fat to rid it of impurities prior to insertion
• Fat insertion – Dr Brooks injects fat in small volumes to maximise fat ‘take’. The smaller volumes or ‘alliquots’ are usually only 1 millilitre at a time. This maximises the chance of fat surviving when it is transferred and injected.
• Fat care – how you take care of yourself after the operation is a major factor in take. You should pretend your fat graft is similar to a skin graft and take care of it in a similar manner. Not being too active, avoiding trauma to the area, eating and sleeping well, not smoking or drinking alcohol.