Many people who are going in for a fat transfer procedure may question where the fat comes from. The process is considered a fat graft and it is a common procedure to do fat transfers by using micro fat grafting and taking fat from other areas of the body.

Where the fat comes from in a fat transfer

Fat grafting involves harvesting fat cells from other areas of the body to use as filler. This can routinely be done in a few hours. Usually fat may be injected into the face, for example. Fat can come from the thighs, buttock area or abdomen. When a doctor uses a syringe to withdraw the fat cells, he will then separate the fat from other collected fluids like blood and any tissue that has been collected. Using a centrifuge technique, the doctor can then spin the fat and use the cells that have now been isolated for the area that will receive the fat transfer.

Micro fat Grafting

A procedure that has been used for years by plastic surgeons, fat from the body is an ideal material for augmenting with soft tissue. This can help to give the most natural appearance and it won’t be rejected by the body. Your doctor can walk you through various ways that fat can be used from other areas of the body for grafting.
A concern that has arisen is the reabsorbing of fat in the body as it is broken down. This may cause a result that isn’t permanent or changes over time. As fat that is grafted will need an adequate blood supply for the long term, it’s difficult to achieve when there are large amounts of fat that have been grafted.
A way to combat this is to use fat grafting techniques that are structural with small increments of fat being grafted in as this can build an area gradually through microinjections. This thereby allows for the tissue to let new blood vessels grow in where the grafted fat is located.
At times a touch up may be required to help even out the skin if there are any areas that have reabsorbed or were broken down.