Fat Grafting in Newport Beach

Have you ever wondered if you could take a little excess fat from one part of your body and use it to enhance another area? Dr. Bunkis of Orange County Plastic Surgery can eliminate unwanted fat from one part of the body and use it to enhance your cheeks, lips, chin, hands, skin depressions, scars, breasts, and Brazilian buttocks lift. Fat transfer for Newport Beach men and women is a popular minimally-invasive procedure that requires little downtime.

There are a variety of reasons why an area of the body needs replenished volume, including weight loss, ageing, and genetics. Fat grafting, or a fat transfer surgery, is a safe cosmetic procedure that uses your own fat to enhance an area of your face and body without the risk of allergic reactions. Lipo transfer of fat cells is most frequently used as an adjunct to facial surgery to help rejuvenate the cheeks, mid-face, and around the eyes.

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How Does Fat Transfer Work?

Liposuction is used to extract excess fat from an area of your body. The fat cells are purified, and then injected into the treatment area. With his extensive experience and expertise with fat grafting, Dr. Bunkis is able to precisely sculpt the area for a natural appearance.

What is the Maximum Age for Fat Transfer Procedures?

There is no maximum chronological age for fat transfer procedures. Candidacy is based on patient need, availability of donor fat, and certain qualities of the skin. People who might benefit from a fat transfer are usually candidates:

  • Have enough fat in areas of the body to be liposucked
  • They are allergic to injections such as Restylane® and Voluma®
  • After a cancer is removed, tissues need to be replenished
  • Those individuals are in good health but are not extremely thin
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Is Fat Transfer Better Than Fillers?

In some cases, Dr. Bunkis may recommend fillers over fat transfers. Dr. Bunkis can achieve similar results with fillers and your own fat to sculpt and contour areas of the face and body. The main difference between fat transfers vs. fillers is that your own fat is considered a natural injectable filler. In order to be a good candidate for fat grafts, though, you need to have areas of your body to take fat from for the injections. If you are very thin and have little body fat, fat transplantation may not be an option. Fillers will be better suited for your cosmetic goals than fat injections.

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What Happens During Fat Transfer Surgery?

Once the patient is under general anesthesia or local sedation, a thin tube called a cannula is inserted through small incisions to extract fat from the donor site. Harvesting fat may also be performed as part of a larger liposuction procedure. Incisions for this procedure are routinely very small and will be easily hidden under clothing. The removed fat is then purified before being placed in a syringe for the transfer. Fat purification is necessary to ensure that re-injecting harvested fat doesn’t cause any adverse reactions.

Using a technique known as lipomodeling, Dr. Bunkis injects the fat into the subcutaneous layer of your skin and massages the area. This distributes the fat consistently and helps it settle in with existing fat. The surgeon may perform several injections in the area using a technique known as layered fat grafting for the best results.

At Orange County Plastic Surgery, we offer the most popular fat grafting procedures.

  • Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation: Fat transfer to the breast area does not add significant size or shape to the breasts. Instead, fat grafting fills in dimples and may help with minor asymmetry. Fat injections may be combined with breast augmentation or breast lift surgery.
  • Fat Transfer to the Buttocks: Also known as a Brazilian Butt Lift, fat grafting to the buttocks adds volume to your backside. It is not recommended for men and women with very flat buttocks.
  • Fat Transfer to the Face: Facial fat grafting adds volume and contours to your features and may reduce the signs of aging.
  • Fat Grafting for Lips: As an alternative to lip augmentation fillers, consider fat transfers for the lips. This technique tends to provide longer-lasting results than fillers.
  • Fat Transfer to Cheeks: Cheek augmentation with fat injections adds volume to naturally flat cheeks. It also helps reduce wrinkles in the lower part of the face that are caused by age-related fat loss.
  • Fat Transfer to Hands: As you age, the skin on your hands thins, and this results in visible veins and wrinkles. Fat injections in your hands give them a more youthful appearance.
  • Fat Transfer to Hips: Adding fat to the hips is similar to a Brazilian Butt Lift. The technique adds shape and volume to your hips. Fat injections can also be used to fill in dimples.
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Fat Transfer Recovery

Fat transfer recovery is relatively short compared to other types of plastic surgery. The injection area may have some redness and swelling initially. Fat transfer downtime is usually seven to 10 days, and healing can take one to two weeks.

Is Fat Grafting Permanent?

Fat grafting is considered a permanent way to add volume to an area of your face and body. But you should remember that some of the fat cells do not survive the transfer process, and you may need additional injections to refine the results. The new fat cells may be lost if you lose a significant amount of weight.

Recovery from Fat Transfer

Fat transfer after care is fairly simple. The donor area will need some special attention. Watch for signs of infection, such as itching or redness around the incisions. You also want to avoid putting pressure on the donor and transplant area until the tissues heal. Before you are released to go home, we provide detailed instructions that outline the best care after fat grafting.

What are the Risks of a Surgical Fat Transfer?

Dr. Bunkis advises his patients of fat transfer risks during the consultation. Post-transfer care is critical to reduce the risk of unwanted side effects. Patients receiving a fat transfer may need additional grafting surgeries in the future. As the fat settles into the new area of the body, a process of fat reabsorption may occur. Fat necrosis is another of the rare lipo injection side effects. A small portion of the transferred fat cells may not survive.

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