Is it Best to Wash or Centrifuge the Fat?
There are many reasons to consider when seeking liposuction procedures. One common reason is dissatisfaction with your appearance in one or more areas of your body.
Fat transfer, or grafting, is an innovative type of liposuction where the removed fat can then be safely reused elsewhere in the patient’s own body. The removal, or harvesting, of the fat and its replacement in the body, is done in a single procedure to ensure the viability of the harvested fat.
Many different methods are employed to harvest and prepare the fat for re-insertion during a fat transfer procedure.
What Is a Fat Transfer Procedure?
A fat transfer, or fat grafting, procedure occurs when a surgeon extracts unwanted fat tissue from one area of the body with the intention to re-insert it in another location of the body.
This can be done for both functional (health) and cosmetic benefit. There are many areas of the body that can make a potentially good site for harvesting fat, including the buttocks, knees, thighs, belly, upper arms and abdomen. The amount of fat needed can vary greatly depending on where the fat is being used on the body.
Before the extracted fat can be re-used, it must be prepared for re-insertion via injection.
Is It Better to Wash or Centrifuge the Harvested Fat?
This question is a matter of ongoing intense debate. The goal of any preparation method, whether washing or centrifuging or some other way, is to remove as much blood, debris and other undesirable matter, leaving simply pure fat tissue behind for re-use.
Studies to date show that methods which cause the least trauma to the living fat cells tend to preserve more living tissue for reinsertion. This would indicate washing could be better, but then again, washing often fails to remove as much blood and debris as centrifuging.
There are pros and cons to each method, and to date, research has failed to prove conclusively that one is all-around a better choice than the other.
The bottom line is that the best method will relate to each patient’s specific situation, including the patient’s health at the time of the procedure, the amount of fat needed and the amount of time it will take to prepare it for re-injection (the shorter the better), available donor sites on the patient’s own body and the surgeon’s degree of comfort and expertise with one method or another.
What Types of Fat Transfer Procedures Can Be Done?
The most common types of fat transfer procedures are to the face, the breasts and the buttocks. Fat transfer procedures are equally common for cosmetic and reconstructive purposes, such as after a mastectomy.
Fat transfers have become a popular alternative to the use of implants, such as for breast augmentation or breast lifts. In this case, fat can be transferred from one area of the body where it is not wanted to the area of the breasts, providing for rounder, fuller and more symmetrical breasts.
Another very popular use for fat transfer procedures is to reverse the natural process of aging in the areas of the face and neck. Since these areas tend to be the first to show visible signs of the aging process, transferring viable fat tissue from another area of the body can result in a very natural, youthful facial appearance.
One of the newest and most popular fat transfer procedures is the buttock lift. In this procedure, fat is transferred from other areas and used to reshape and contour the derriere.
What Makes Fat Transfer a Good Choice?
Whenever any type of foreign matter is introduced into the body, be it stitches or implants, there is always the risk of rejection. However, with a fat transfer procedure, you are using your body’s own fat to make the desired improvements. This means there is no risk of your body rejecting the revisions.
What is important to remember here, however, is that because the body immediately recognizes the re-injected fat tissue, it will start to reabsorb some of it right away. For this reason, it is often recommended to re-inject a portion more than what you ultimately need to balance out the 20 to 30 percent that will naturally get reabsorbed by your body.
How to Choose a Surgeon for a Fat Transfer Procedure?
The choice of your surgeon is a very personal one. This is the person you will trust to operate on your body and help you achieve your health and cosmetic appearance goals. It is critical to choose a surgeon with a strong body of expertise in the specific procedure you are having done. You want to choose a board-certified surgeon whenever possible, as this indicates additional education and training in specific disciplines, such as plastic surgery or reconstructive surgery.
You should also choose a surgeon who has positive reviews from past and current clients, and whose work you admire. Most surgeons post “before and after” photo galleries so you can view results of their fat transfer procedures and decide if the results match your goals.
Finally, you should choose a surgeon you feel comfortable talking and working with since you will need to entrust your health and wellbeing to your surgeon during and after your procedure.
How to Schedule a Fat Transfer Procedure?
The first step towards scheduling your fat transfer procedure is to schedule your initial consultation with Doctors Plastic Surgery in New York or Chicago to discuss your goals.
About Doctors Plastic Surgery
With twin offices located in Chicago and New York, Doctors Plastic Surgery makes it easy for patients to receive world-class plastic surgery procedures without traveling cross-country to do so. The team of Drs. Lin, Altman, Blaine, Everett and Ghersi provide the full complement of cutting-edge surgical specialization for facial, breast and body contouring.
To learn more about both locations and schedule your initial consultation, visit Doctors
Plastic Surgery at www.doctorsplasticsurgery.com.
This is a guest post.