Fat Transfer Longevity: What You Need to Know
Picture this: you finally treated yourself to that body contouring surgery you’ve wanted for ages. That stunning coke bottle figure you’ve always imagined is now your reality. You wouldn’t want to do anything to compromise fat transfer longevity and those gorgeous results, right?
Many patients don’t realize that what happens after fat transfer surgery is just as important as surgery itself. That’s why Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery is committed to empowering you with the knowledge necessary to preserve your transformation long-term.
Today, we gather those insights to help you protect your beautiful new physique (and newfound confidence). In this article, we discuss the importance of fat transfer care, tips for safeguarding your results, and how to choose your perfect surgeon.
Ready to relish your new shape for years to come? Keep reading.
Understanding the Fat Transfer Procedure
Fat transfer procedures are plastic surgery treatments that harvest fat tissue (through liposuction) from one area of the body and transfer it to another for enhanced aesthetics, comfort, and confidence.
The most popular procedures that harness permanent fat grafting techniques include:
- Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL): Fat is removed from one or more parts of the body and artfully transferred into the buttocks for improved volume and shape.
- Breast Augmentation with Fat Transfer: Fat is removed from one or more body parts and transferred into the breasts for a “natural breast augmentation.”
- Facial Fat Transfer: Uses your own fat to restore youthful volume to the face and fill in hollow spots and deep grooves.
- Mommy Makeover Surgeries: A comprehensive batch of procedures (usually liposuction, tummy tuck, breast augmentation, and BBL) designed to rejuvenate post-pregnancy physiques.
Each of these surgeries has the potential to offer life-changing results, but they are all equally defined by the post-op process. Curious why that is?
Why Fat Transfer Care Matters
It’s important for body contouring patients to know that some of the grafted fat won’t make it. 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. The thing is, not all cells successfully find this blood supply, causing a portion of them to be absorbed and eliminated by your body.
Plus, some people’s bodies are just genetically predisposed to absorb a higher percentage of transferred fat cells.
Other factors that could impede fat grafting results are:
- Poor surgical skill and technique
- Recipient site conditions
- Handling and processing of fat
- Your health and lifestyle
- Post-operative care
- Individual biological factors
While surgeons like Dr. Cat anticipate this possibility in their surgical plan (more on this later), the brunt of the responsibility of fat transfer care also falls on you.
Tips for Maintaining Fat Transfer Results
So, how long till you know which fat cells have made it? It varies per procedure, but your final outcome is usually visible within six months to a year. But reaching this milestone doesn’t mean your role in ensuring fat transfer longevity is over.
Safeguarding your silhouette is an ongoing commitment. Some best practices for maintaining fat transfer results long-term include:
Adjust your sleeping positions
Putting pressure on newly-transferred fat cells is a no-no. But what about once you’ve healed? While you can revert back to your regular sleeping position, certain positions compress parts of your body over time. Not only does this cause sleep wrinkles and premature aging, but it can also cause volume loss.
Our two cents? Err on the side of caution and opt for sleep positions that reduce strain or stretching on areas of fat transfer.
Don’t put undue pressure on fat transfer areas
The same goes for sitting. For example, even though you can pretty much sit like normal after about a month post-BBL, it doesn’t hurt to limit your sitting time or continue using BBL cushions. This will only help prolong your BBL results duration.
Ultimately, the less pressure you put on transferred fat cells, the better.
Avoid smoking or vaping if possible
Inhalants (yes, even cannabis) can impact your bloodstream’s flow of oxygen and nutrients, delaying your body’s ability to heal. And remember those blood supply connections we talked about earlier? Smoking makes it twice as hard to establish new blood vessels, decreasing the survival chances of newly transferred fat cells.
Harness medical-grade skincare
Choosing the right skincare isn’t just important for antiaging and skin health. It can help extend fat transfer longevity and protect your results. Medical-grade products, like MD GLAM, are formulated by Dr. Cat to boost skin health and appearance, as well as support healing. And SPF? It’s a non-negotiable for your treated areas.
Keep a stable weight
Once your new fat settles, it acts like any other natural fatty tissue. Meaning? It can increase with weight gain and decrease with weight loss. If you’re obsessed with your new shape (and who wouldn’t be?), try to keep your weight stable to avoid drastic changes.
Target treated areas in your workouts
We know what you’re thinking: fat transfer relies on fat and exercise burns fat, so shouldn’t I avoid targeting those areas? Not at all! Say you had a BBL—glute exercises may burn fat, but they’ll build muscles in those areas to compensate and make your curves even curvier.
Explore fat grafting touch-ups
As the years go on, your treated areas are subject to weight fluctuations and natural aging. If down the line you feel your results aren’t up to par anymore, fat grafting touch-ups or alternative treatments can help you get back to your most confident self.
By following your post-op guidelines and putting these tips into practice, you prioritize fat transfer care. One more critical element? Putting your faith in the right provider.
Choosing Fat Transfer Surgeons: The Importance of Specialization
Fat transfer procedures are incredibly complex and each case is unique. With so many variations, you need a surgeon versed in the intricacies of each procedure—from gentle, strategic lipo to meticulous, artful body resculpting.
Think about it: your provider has to know how much to overfill to compensate for natural fat cell loss. But if they overfill too much? It could leave you with exaggerated or unnatural fat grafting results. They also have to take their time. For instance, turning you over in different positions to ensure the most natural, symmetric shape possible.
This is where Dr. Cat Huang-Begovic truly shines. Her specialized approach to harvesting and transferring fat is crucial for fat cell survival. After hundreds of body contouring procedures, she’s mastered maximizing fat cell viability while delivering truly exceptional results.
Craft Timeless Transformations with Dr. Cat Plastic Surgery
We know committing to body contouring surgery is not a decision that comes lightly. You have to consider the financial investment, what recovery entails, and what to do to ensure fat transfer longevity.
But you deserve this transformation. More importantly, you deserve to enjoy it for as long as possible. With a surgeon like Dr. Cat at the helm, you can be sure your transformation stands the test of time.
