Do You Recommend Icing 2 Weeks After Fat Grafting?

Fat survival is reliant on the vascularity and blood supply to the restored fat. Fat with adequate blood supply is more likely to survive the longest. Icing to long each time or for too many weeks can suppress the blood flow to the new fat decreasing the survival rate.

Icing, or cooling the skin with ice (applied over an interface like a cloth   but never directly on the skin) is a great way to help minimize and prevent a lot of swelling following surgery. We usually recommend keeping your head elevated for the first week if possible. Physiologically you continue to swell for 2-3 days, then peek with a slow but progressive resolution of the swelling which is also called "edema".  The ice decreases the formation of swelling but in my experience does NOT hasten its retreat. Further if ice is put too close to the skin it can injure it. 

 

Fat is best iced when it is outside the body waiting to be transplanted.  Lowering the temperature of the cells can reduce their rate of cellular respiration and therefore reduce the amount of acidosis the cells undergo prior to re-inserting then into the recipient site. Icing the recipient site theoretically reduces swelling.  12 days after fat transplantation, cells either have a blood supply or they do not.  Ice is unlikely to heLp the situation at this time; it may actually be a hinderence.

 

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