The answer is in something most of us have plenty of: fat cells. Body fattransfer takes your own fat cells from places where they're plentiful (thighs,abdomen), and uses them to plump up areas that need them, such as cheeks, chinand even hands. Autologous fat transplantation - or body fat transfer - is doneon an outpatient basis. Both the donor site (where the fat comes from) and thetreatment site (where it's going) receive local anesthetic and the patient isusually sedated. The fat is taken out with a needle and syringe and ?purified'to remove excess fluid, then re-injected at the treatment site. If you haverecently had liposuction, breast reduction or a similar procedure, the fatextracted at that time can be frozen for later injection.
Body fat transfer has the advantage over collagen injections in that there isno possibility of a person developing an allergy to his own fat cells. It isalso less expensive than most cosmetic procedures, such as the insertion ofimplants. They are not suitable for large areas, however, and will lend a full,rounded, but not a muscular appearance.
Recovery from body fat transfer is quick, as there has been no traumaticinvasion of the body. Bruising will fade within a couple of days, and swellingand redness should disappear in a few weeks. Activity may be limited for awhile.
Disadvantages of Body Fat Transfer
Sites where there is little motion, such as the cheeks, stay firm longer thansites where the muscles move a great deal, such as the lips. Fat can also betransferred to the buttocks, arms, calves or other areas. Some experts believethat if it is used as breast augmentation material, it may interfere withmammogram results, while other surgeons routinely use it for this purpose.
There is a drawback, however. The body will reabsorb about 60 percent of thecells almost immediately. While the surgeon will purposely overfill tocounteract this, the absorption may continue up to 99 percent. More injectionsare necessary for lasting results. If, after a series of injections, therecipient site reaches the point of saturation, then results can last alifetime, but this may or may not happen. Three years is average. Newtechniques aimed at lengthening the results of body fat transfer are being usedvery day, and soon a permanent method may be found.
