How It Works

Fat grafting or fat injection cosmetic surgery is a versatile procedure that can add fullness to areas of your body that diminish naturally as we age.

This fat transfer procedure removes fat from the donor part of your body where it is abundant and places it in an area where the additional bulk will achieve the cosmetic effects you and your doctor seek.

It is typically used to fill sunken areas beneath the eyes, fleshing out certain areas of the face, such as “laugh lines” and nasolabial folds, and filling in forehead creases or augmenting sunken cheek areas. This procedure can be performed alone or to complement a full facelift.

Its use is not limited to cosmetics, however. It can also be used to counteract the effects of radiation treatments, facial damage from scarring, acne, or diseases such as hemifacial atrophy.

Initial Consultation

At your initial consultation with Dr. Heffelfinger, Dr. Krein, or Dr. Pribitkin in Philadelphia, your doctor will conduct a thorough interview to get a full  understanding of your medical history. Your doctor will want to know about previous surgeries, current medical conditions, and medications you are taking, as well as any dietary or other allergies you may have.

He will review your goals and discuss the cosmetic changes you seek with the fat grafting procedure. Some patients are better candidates for this surgery and will realize better results. And some patients, because of their age, medical history or other factors will not be candidates. Many times doctors will advise against fat transfer for breast augmentation, as it can make future breast cancer detection more difficult.

Your doctor will thoroughly examine both the donor area from which the fat will be harvested, as well as the recipient area for suitability. In addition to discussing this surgery, your doctor may discuss other cosmetic surgical options that might benefit you. He will share before and after photos of former patients so you have a better understanding of the results you may expect.

The doctors at Jefferson Facial Plastics in Philadelphia, with their excellent training and extensive experience with hundreds of these operations, will answer all your questions.

At the end of your consultation, you will fully understand the surgical procedure, the surgical facility, anesthesia options, and the cosmetic benefits you might expect. He will also inform you of the recovery process and timeframe, and costs.

The Procedure

The fat to be transferred is withdrawn in one of two ways:

• The use of a syringe with a large-bore needle or with a liposuction cannula
• Excision of the fat directly from the donor site. In this case, your doctor will use small incisions to place the fat directly into the site rather than injecting it.

Your doctor will decide the best body location to serve as the donor area. But typical donor areas include the inner thighs, inner knees and the stomach.

After removing the fat, he will centrifuge it to expel all impurities, water and blood. All fatty oils are then wicked away, leaving the compacted fat to then be inserted in the chosen area. He will then use a small syringe to place the fat in the recipient area.The entire operation is usually performed in your doctor’s surgical facility in his offices.

The long term success of the operation will depend upon the body’s absorption versus retention of the fat transfer, among other things. Generally speaking,  40-60% of the transferred fat will remain in its intended area permanently. As a result, your doctor will typically inject a greater amount of fat than needed to compensate for this absorption.

Your doctor may recommend follow-up fat grafting to augment or further improve the results of the operation.

Recovery Time

You will likely experience some bruising or swelling in both the donor and recipient areas. And, as previously mentioned, your doctor usually injects excess fat to account for the body’s absorption of part of it. This excess amount might make your face look swollen for a week or so as your body absorbs the excess. Most patients return to their normal activities almost immediately.

Your doctor will instruct you on what activities or other actions you should avoid during the healing process. He will also schedule follow-up visits to monitor your progress; and is available at all times should you have any questions or concerns during your recovery process.