FAT INJECTIONS

Fat transfer is the concept of injecting human fat back into a patient in order to fill holes or plump up certain areas of the body.

This method is used in the following situations:

• Natural defects such as sunken cheeks
• Defects on the face and wrinkles in aged skin
• Defects after acne scars
• In certain skin diseases such as scleroderma
• Depressions caused by injury
• Depressions caused by injections such as steroids.

Method:

This is a simple method under local anesthesia lasting about 1 hour. Fat is usually taken from thigh or buttocks using a suction syringe. It is transferred on to another container and any fluid is removed. The concentrated fat is the injected through a syringe under local anesthesia to the recipient area. A simple dressing is put and patient is sent home.

Results are seen with in a week.

What are the advantages of fat transfer over artificial fillers?

Several artificial fillers are available. These are very expensive, last only for a short time . In fat transfer, since natural fat from patient herself is used , there are no allergic reactions. The injected fat usually last for 1-3 years. The method is also cheaper when compared to artificial filler substance.