Melbourne Oculoplastic Surgeons

Can I Use Fat from Smart Lipo or Tumescent Lipo for Fat Transfer?

I want to get smart lipo for my abdoman, sides and a couple of other places. I want to also get fat transfer to my buttocks, is that possible?

When a smartlipo procedure is performed, the doctor will put the tumescent solution in the area to be treated. Tumescent solution is another name for numbing fluid which is a mixture of IV fluid, or salt water, and lidocaine. The numbed area is then treated with the smartlipo laser. The purpose of the laser is to melt the fat cells and provide a heating effect to the skin to obtain skin tightening. The fat is then removed with traditional type fat removal procedures. Because the fat has been irreversibly damaged by the laser, you can not use this fat for fat transfer. To accomplish a fat transfer, a more gentle procedure, such as Aqualipo should be performed, and then the fat transfer, or Naturalfill procedure can then be succesfully used to transfer your fat. 

Roger Bassin, MD

Orlando Oculoplastic Surgeon

Why is Fat Transfer a Low Rated Procedure on RealSelf?

Fat transfer or grafting has slid into one of the lowest rated plastic surgery procedures on RealSelf. Under 40% of consumers say fat transfer was "Worth it". Why is this the case?  Is there something wrong with the procedure, patient selection, doctor technique?

It is not surprising at all that fat transfer is the lowest rated procedure on this forum. Fat transfer has been a procedure attempted for over 130 years, with the first reported transfer in 1890. After reviewing the literature which encompasses hundreds of studies on fat transfer, the conclusion that can be generally drawn is that fat transfer is a procedure that is widely unpredictable. The reason behind this is that surgeons need to perform liposuction to remove the fat, and with the aggressive nature of liposuction procedures, the majority of the fat is damaged in the removal process. Add to this that doctors are 'processing' the fat to remove the blood, etc... with centrifuges, and the fat becomes even less viable or 'alive.'

This has all changed recently with the invention of the aqualipo procedure, or water-assisted liposuction, where fat is gently 'washed' from the body, thus preserving its integrity and giving a much more viable product. This has been scientifically proven to have a 90% viability, which is markedly better than the 30-70% viability of any other type of fat removal before it. I just recently had the honor to demonstare this procedure on Dr. Oz's show, with a procedure we call Naturalfill, or fat transfer with fat that has been gently washed from a patient with aqualipo. With this newer, better fat, we have been able to show predictable, reproducible, long-term results, and now Naturalfill has garnished a re-birth in the fat transfer procedure. I would assume as time goes on and more doctors accept the better quality fat that the above-named procedures yield, the ratings of our patients will dramtically increase.

Roger Bassin, MD

Orlando Oculoplastic Surgeon

How Much Does Fat Injection Cost?

How much do fat injections typically cost for face treatments?

The cost of fat transfer does not necessarily have to be that much, but this all depends on where you go, how many areas are treated, and most importantly, the technique used by the doctor treating you. I just demonstrated my Naturalfill procedure on Dr. Oz last week, where I use the Aqualipo procedure to flush out intact fat cells without any general anesthesia or any need to 'process' the fat. My patients can have facial fat transfer performed for $2500, because our techniques do not require excessive time/anesthesia costs. Hope this helps.

Roger Bassin, MD

Orlando Oculoplastic Surgeon