Fat Injection
Fat injection involves harvesting fat from an area of the body with excess fat using suction, processing it, and transferring it to the needed area with needles. This method can be applied to any area of the body needing volume. It can fill, reduce wrinkles, correct contours and achieve skin rejuvenation.
Fat cells for injection are harvested from areas with excess such as abdomen and flanks using fine cannulas. Incisions of 3-4 mm are made and scars become inconspicuous. Some slimming occurs in the harvest areas. The main goal is to obtain stem cell-rich fat grafts. The processed fat is injected to the desired area with appropriate cannulas and needles. Not all injected fat cells survive or are absorbed. Approximately 50% of fat grafts persist. The advantages are high stem cell content, being the patient’s own tissue, and availability in larger quantities than ready-made fillers for extensive areas.
Application Areas
Fat injection can be applied to any area of the body. Most commonly on the face: defining and plumping lips, filling nasolabial folds, defining cheekbones and chin tip, filling forehead and frown wrinkles, plumping cheeks in thin individuals, correcting facial depressions and irregularities, leg contouring, breast asymmetry correction, post-liposuction depressions, hand rejuvenation, and combined with facelift and other operations.
Procedure and Recovery
Fat injection can be performed under sedation anesthesia. Duration ranges from 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the area. Since no incisions are made, scar issues do not arise. Mild swelling in the treated area for a few days is normal. Ice application and simple painkillers are helpful. Depending on the extent of the procedure and social considerations, patients can return to work and social life within a few days to weeks.