Fat Transplantation

Fat is taken from an area where there is too much and is placed in other areas where there is too little, such as the ageing or post-acne-scarred face.

It is a useful procedure for:

• severe acne scarring, where the fat layer under the skin is affected, causing the skin to sink in some areas;
• fat loss in the face as part of the normal ageing process. This happens especially in the cheeks and temples. People with a gaunt face from birth often benefit from having their own fat transplanted into these depressed areas;
• major expression lines may be attempted by fat transplant. These transplants are more likely to be temporary as these lines are strongly bound down to underlying tissues;
• hand augmentation. This is quite a good treatment for ageing hands which tend to lose fat as ageing occurs. This may need to be repeated periodically to maintain the correction;
• upper & lower lips. The upper and lower lip often loses volume with ageing and this may be supplemented by fat. A technique of lengthening the lower lip by fat injection tends to correct the droopy corners of the mouth. This is often temporary but may be long lasting.

The procedure

Some fat is removed from an area of plenty with a thin cannula. Local anaesthetic is used to remove the fat painlessly. The removed fat is washed to remove any broken cells, then re-injected into the area where it is required.

For how long does the fat last?

On average, 40-60% of the fat survives one year. In certain areas, such as the upper lip and cheek hollows, the long-term results are substantially better than this, however in scars and expression lines, the fat may need topping up to achieve the desired result. Usually 2-3 injections, 6-8 weeks apart are recommended for these areas. There is often some loss after each injection and a satisfactory result is gradually built up rather than produced in the first injection.