Fat Transfer: Stories

I didn't use to think that fat transfers were a big deal. I'm in my 20s and spent money regularly on expensive juve and resty treatments - thought fat would be more economical in the long run and a worthwhile investment.

Sadly, my surgeon didn't listen, lacked ethics and neglected to exercise good judgement.

After pointing out tiny areas to be done (just as I used to do when getting fillers), I was put under and woke up swollen everywhere. In denial, I thought that the adjacent areas had swelled up around the injections. It turned out that my surgeon changed tack and filled my face without consent.

Result?:
Sunken lips, narrowed smile, pillowing of grafted fat in cheek, yellow discolouration of skin/broken veins, hardened fat panels moving up underneath another big layer of fat in my cheeks, face that doesn't belong to me.

I am now searching high and low for a surgeon to remove some of the fat.

Some important facts I've learned about FTs:

- There are many FT techniques that different surgeons use. Read up online and take time to learn about them - depth, passes, levels, amounts, units (cc/ml)
- Injection of fat is done through mutiple jabs - a more invasive process than fillers
- If you have thin/fair skin, irregularities can be more visible
- Injecting fat into the upper lip gives less tooth show; injecting into the nasolabial folds can turn down the mouth
- Faces deplete with bone loss and skin laxity, in addition to fat loss, so fat zealotry can't solve everything. A simple truth that some PSs haven't quite grasped.
- The resorption of fat in the face can make areas appear larger, as surrounding areas get more hollowed out
- Fat cells behave in the same way as their donor site. Choose yours carefully
- Consider whether you'd enjoy the sensation of filler being injected throughout most of your face, before being swayed by pseudo-scientific data or 'facelifts with fat'

Would I recommend FT? Yes. But as a procedure that is used very sparingly like fillers or sculptura or as an adjunct to other procedures. My experience was based on misunderstanding and ignorance and I've been overfilled this past year.

REMOVING FAT:

The new hobby. Anyone trying to do the same or who's gotten success?

Well, here I am 1.5 years later and nothing much has changed except the fat appears to have gotten even more lumpy and irregular. Either that or I'm more sensitive to it. When I come to think about it my problem is pretty severe. I look like a puppet an my skin is all ripply from the constant fluctuations of fat. Most of the problem was that it wasn't injected properly at all in my opinion. I sure wish he hadn't injected it into my skin. Too much volume is a bad thing, but fixing poor technique is very difficult, because fat is more likely to form granulomas, lumps, cysts, scar tissue from poor technique. If the doctor doesn't inject the fat deep into the cheeks, it will just sag off the face. This fat also feels very uncomfortable in areas of motion - it is completely unlike the natural fat in my face.

Some members on RS here have only tried 5-fu injections with some success, others have had micro liposuction, others are considering expensive eyelid surgeries to remove their fat. Some have even had to go through a year of fillers and undergo more fat transfer to correct deformities left by the original. There is also the possibility of having to undergo a facelift to get back the facial contours and restore sagging skin if your problem is very severe. To be honest, I think you need to have a lot of money and time on your hands to fix this procedure, and many of us are exhausted.

I had a lip reduction but it just made things worse. More scar tissue! So that will need to be redone.

What I would say is that if you're young, like I am/was, your options to get rid of this are very limited and you could be stuck with a lifelong problem, so please - anyone in their 20s (or even 30s) - be very careful who you choose for fat transfer and err on the conservative side. Try not to be put under anaesthesia for this procedure and remain awake as an active participant in your treatment.

Haven't been on here for ages and am sorry to all I haven't yet replied to. I've been asked for photos privately from a few people so I'm putting these on my review. I will take them down soon but that's pretty much what an overfilled fat graft looks like.