A person’s own fat may be used to improve the appearance of the body by moving it from an area where it is not required (usually the flanks or abdomen) to an area that has lost tissue volume due to aging, trauma, surgery, birth defects, or other causes. Typically, the transferred fat results in an increase in volume of the body site being treated. This procedure is performed using a local anaesthetic. This is injected along with adrenaline into the areas from where the fat is being removed to minimise bruising and discomfort. The fat is then removed from the body by a narrow surgical instrument (cannula) through a small incision. The preparation of fat involves filtering (using special filters) and washing using normal saline. The fat is then placed into the required area using a smaller cannula. Since some of the transferred fat does not maintain its volume over time, your doctor may inject more than is needed at the time to achieve the desired result. Over a few weeks, the amount of transferred fat will decrease. Occasionally, more fat may need to be transferred to maintain the results.

Areas suitable for fat grafting include: Underneath the scalp to correct indentations in the contour of the head, above or below the eyes if they are sunken, cheeks to enhance the cheek bones or to fill out very hollowed cheeks, the lips, minor irregularities in the neck or the chin, Correction of irregularities in the breasts for both males and females, Correction of hollows due to irregularities following breast reconstruction, the abdomen and thigh after previous surgical complications or road traffic accidents in which the fat has been damaged by blunt injury and hand rejuvenation

The benefits of fat grafting include: Since it is your own fat, allergic reaction is extremely unlikely, and the results are long lasting (approximately 65% of the injected fat is absorbed in the body within a few months of treatment, the remaining 35% will last for years). To achieve the best results a course of treatments is recommended. It can safely be combined with other aesthetic procedures such as Botox, dermal fillers, Sculptra. and Platelet Rich Plasma. At Bedford Skin Clinic, we use the most advanced methods of fat grafting, hence there is minimal downtime and complications are rare. The treated area looks slightly swollen for a few days and there is potential for bruising. There is minimal discomfort after the procedure and we advise our clients to take oral paracetamol if required. Clients can usually get back to normal activity on the next day.