It can take up to 6 months for a surgical fat transfer to fully take effect, as some of the injected fat may be reabsorbed by your body during the first few months after the procedure.
Swelling is a common side effect of any cosmetic procedure, and a fat transfer is no different. Most patients experience swelling and mild soreness for 7 – 10 days, with a total recovery timeline of two weeks.
ACTIVITY AFTER FAT TRANSFER TREATMENT
Physical Activity: Normal daily activity may be resumed a few days after surgery. Avoid bending, lifting, or straining for one to two weeks. Be extremely careful if wearing any “pull-over the head” clothing. Exercise: Light physical activity may be resumed 2-3 weeks after surgery.
It can take up to six months to see the final results. During this time, the fat cells settle into their new places, where they remain for life.
The treated areas will probably be quite bruised and swollen for a few weeks. You may want to take a couple of weeks off work. It can take up to 6 months for a surgical fat transfer to fully take effect, as some of the injected fat may be reabsorbed by your body during the first few months after the procedure.
Sustaining long-term results requires continuing to maintain a stable weight, focusing on a diet rich in nutrient-dense foods, and an active lifestyle including low-impact exercises. Select an experienced board-certified surgeon to help maximize your fat retention and get your desired result.
Firmness, lumpiness, or asymmetry may occur also. If some of the fat does not survive the transfer, it may actually “die” and become firm and cause discomfort. Cysts may form at the transfer site and require a procedure to remove. A symmetrical body appearance unfortunately may not result from a fat transfer procedure.
How Long Does the Recovery Process Take After Fat Grafting? The recovery process following fat grafting lasts approximately six weeks.
(Please also be aware that anything else that can constrict blood supply – even caffeine – has the potential to affect the survival of the fat graft.)
It is usually not noticeable until 6 to 8 months after the surgery, once the tissue flap has softened and the swelling is gone. Doctors call these lumps fat necrosis. Sometimes smaller areas of fat necrosis shrink or go away on their own.
Post-Procedure Care Instructions for Facial Fat Transfer. Most patients can resume daily activities within 2-3 weeks post-op, with the majority of swelling subsiding in 1-2 weeks. Full recovery typically occurs around the 4-6 week mark, though individual timelines may vary.
Fat Transfer - Associated Costs
Be sure to ask your surgeon what the approximate cost will be for your specific fat transfer surgery during your consultation. The average cost for a fat transfer is $2,085*. *The above statistic comes from the 2021 Aesthetic Plastic Surgery National Databank Statistics.
Your body can't reject the transferred fat since it's your own tissue.
You will be able to sleep on your back and your side after six weeks. Until then, you will need to sleep on your stomach to avoid putting pressure on the fat grafted areas. We cannot emphasize enough how important it is to adhere to these post-op aftercare and sleeping instructions. Dr.
In fact, only about 50% to 80% of injected fat cells will survive the transfer. The biggest reason for this? Inadequate blood supply. For your transferred fat cells to survive, they must quickly establish a blood supply in their new location.
Don't: Move or massage the treated area for a few days post-op to avoid disturbing the fat cells before they can “settle in”
A typical fat grafting procedure consists of three steps: extracting fat tissue from a suitable donor site on your body, processing the extracted fat to remove cellular debris and excess oils and fluids, and reinjecting the purified tissue into the areas that need volume.
As you now have more fat in your face, you will see some results from the facial fat transfer immediately. But you will really start to see results as the swelling and bruising begin to disappear and that typically occurs two weeks after the procedure.
Generally speaking, fat grafting is ideal for men and women of all ages. In fact, people from 18-70 years old may benefit from fat transfer therapies. You are a good candidate if you're in good health, are a non-smoker and do not suffer from medical conditions that may limit your ability to properly heal.
Weight loss should not have to compromise your fat transfer results. The Kaplan Center for Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery can help enhance the shape of your face through advanced techniques in facial fat grafting. Enjoy fuller cheeks and more defined lips when working with a board-certified doctor, like Dr.
In a review of 22 articles including 3565 patients, Groen and colleagues7 identified that the most common complications of autologous fat grafting in cosmetic breast augmentation included induration, persistent pain, and hematoma occurring at 33%, 25%, and 16%, respectively.
The “acute” regenerative and adipogenic phase of fat graft survival is completed by 3 months and is followed by a “chronic” stabilizing process that can persist for up to additional 9 months; the total remodeling process following fat grafting can thus take up to a year ( Fig.
There is no specific weight requirement for fat transfer procedures; however, patients should ideally be within a healthy weight range; it's also acceptable for fat transfer patients to be slightly overweight.
-Moderate discomfort, which should be relieved by the pain medications. -Moderate swelling and bruising around and below the treated area. -Expected to wear your compression garment as close to 24 hours as possible for the first 6 weeks.