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Recycle Unwanted Fat? – New Jersey Fat Transfer

Imagine the possibility of creating a more youthful appearance but without surgery or targeted injections of costly and repeated artificial fillers. Look no further than those unwanted jiggly love handles or belly flab.

Recycling Your Own Fat

Using your own body fat in a fat transfer procedure is probably one of the best ways to add volume to your face, cheeks, or jawline minus the risk of complications associated with invasive surgical procedures or synthetic injectables. The technique of harvesting one’s own unwanted fat cells and then implanting them in more desirable areas of the body is not a new one. And because body fat is in abundant supply in most individuals, the lipid pump is always primed, so to speak.

A qualified plastic surgeon will extract fat cells from the patient’s abdomen, sides, or thighs, using an aspiration technique similar to liposuction. The fat cells have a limited lifespan so are then kept temporarily in a syringe and then re-injected into the desired area, for instance the patient’s breasts or areas of the face to build fullness and volume.

Even though the patient ultimately benefits from the use of their own body tissue to enhance another area of the body, “perfect” results cannot always be expected. There is a chance that some of the fat cells will not “take”. Those that do will develop their own blood supply and re-establish themselves in the desired location.

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons advises that while complication rates associated with fat recycling and transfer are not “unduly” high, there is a risk of infection, bleeding, or volume loss due to fat cells not taking root. The positive flip side to the coin is that the fat cells that do take up residence, do so on a long-term if not permanent basis, and the positive results will remain true to form for years to come.

Facelift versus Mini-Facelift

The answer to this question is not about the surgery but about understanding the terminology.  A facelift is an operation that will lift from the lower cheek down to the neck.  In our practice a facelift always includes a full necklift but does not lift the eyes or eyebrows.  There are really only two types of adequate facelifts; the deep plane facelift and the SMAS facelift, both of which provide excellent improvement of the neck, jawline and lower face.   In our practice we only perform deep plane facelifts and we have extensive videos explaining why on our website.

A minilift is really a completely different operation which limits the surgery to pulling on the skin and often produces short lived results.  Unfortunately, it is common to give a sexy name like lifestyle lift to a minilift to give the impression that there is something unique or special that other surgeons don’t have.  Thread lifts, like minilifts, are attractive to patients because they seem to be a less invasive procedure but have the same problem, once the swelling is gone in a few months there is often very little improvement.  You can often get realistic expectation for a procedure by going to a website like Realself.com, where patients will tell their own experiences with procedures and doctors.

Laser Procedures

There are so many different lasers out there with such great names as “restore” or “repair” that the prospective patient can become overwhelmed.  Where is the best place to start? I would suggest that healthy skepticism is the most important first step.  Common sense suggests that if there was one treatment that was really great, all doctors would be flocking to offer it, which is not the case.

Here is a fact to fuel your skepticism.  In order for these devices to get FDA approval, they do not have to be tested on patients; they only need to prove that they are similar to other devices that are already FDA approved.  You can be one of the first hundred patients that the device is being used on without even knowing it and your doctor does not have to disclose this. I once spent $150,000 on a laser and I knew in the back of my mind that I needed to do four procedures a month to cover the lease.  Expensive devices can create a conflict of interest for the doctor.

What is a patient to do? Ask Questions
How many of the procedure has the doctor done?
How satisfied are the patients?
What happens if I am dissatisfied with the result (charges for second procedures)?
Can you show me before and after pictures of a patient who is in the same condition and had the proposed treatment by the doctor (after all you are paying the doctor for their skill and experience)?
What are the potential complications (every procedure has potential complications – if the doctor says there are none you should run)?

These can be hard to ask but it is much better to protect yourself up front than deal with a complication that you never dreamed could happen.

Does natural breast augmentation have long term results?

Are there any long-term studies on breast augmentation with fat transfer? Are there any women who have had the procedure done years ago and still have results?

Answer:

Natural breast augmentation with fat is a relatively new procedure and is just now starting to gain popularity so there are no long term studies.  Based on our very long experience with facial fat transfers we believe that we will achieve the same kind of long term success with breast.  There are a number of studies which address the safety of fat transfer to breast in breast reconstructive surgery after mastectomy and it has proven to be a safe and effective treatment in these studies.

Should I get regular or natural breast augmentation?

I’ve always been interested in breast augmentation but I’ve never taken the plunge because I really just want my breasts slightly enhanced. Would natural breast augmentation with fat be a better option for me?

Answer:

The advantage of fat augmentation is that it is your own tissue and feels completely natural; there are no incisions and a short recovery.  A patient seeking more subtle enhancement or fullness is an excellent candidate for this procedure.

What exactly is a stem cell facelift?

I’m very interested in the stem cell facelift but I’m also very confused by the difference between it and fat transfer. Does the technique involve concentrated stem cells? Are the results different or just the longevity?

Answer:

Many doctors market fat transfers improperly as “stem cell facelifts”.  It is possible to enhance the fat transfer using either fat or blood derived stem cells.  This is experimental work and there are no demonstrated benefits.  The stem cells seem to have a life span of about 2 weeks during which they produce chemicals which may help the fat graft survive.  There is no evidence to support any claims regarding skin rejuvenation from stem cells.

How long do the results of a stem cell facelift last?

I’m interested in getting a facelift using stem cells. How long do the results last?

Answer:

A facelift is an operation where the tissues of the face are surgically lifted.  A “stem cell facelift” is really a fat transfer which treats the aging face by adding volume.  We often use fat transfers with facelifts for total facial rejuvenation.  The durability of a fat transfer in our practice is many years and we have many patients who have maintained their result for over 10 years.  The injection of stem cells into the face should be considered an experimental procedure and our experience is that the results are extremely subtle.

Can I improve a fat transfer gone wrong?

I am a 46 year old male.  I recently had fat injected into the hollows of my eyes.  The swelling seems to have gone down but there are tiny lumps under my eyes now.  Is there some way to improve this?

Answer:

Lumpy irregularity after a fat transfer can be the result of poor technique which leaves clumps of fat that are visible.  We have a large experience with correction of these types of problems but each patient is unique and the treatment is based on examining the patient

Does weight loss affect fat transfer to the face?

About 8 months ago I had fat injected into my cheeks.  I have recently begun to lose weight so I’m wondering if there is a chance that the fat from the injection might go away as my face thins out.  Can this happen?

Answer:

Almost invariably the transferred fat will be affected by both weight loss and gain.  One of the benefits of a fat transfer is that the fat is harvested from diet resistant fat and will tend to be more resistant to weight loss when placed in the face.

Am I too old for a facelift?

I am a 75- year-old woman interested in a facelift. I am in pretty good health and take care of myself as best as I can.  I stay fit by working out, eating healthy, and not smoking or drinking. Would I be a good candidate for this surgery or am I too old to undergo something so invasive?

Answer:

A healthy 75year old is an excellent candidate for a facelift. We do all of our procedures as an outpatient with twilight anesthesia, making the procedure safer and less stressful on the body. Patients routinely tell us that the surgery was much easier than they anticipated. Watch one of our patient’s facelift procedure step by step on our website.