Why are so many doctors suggesting fat transfers when it's so unpredictable?

Question

Why aren't doctors informing patients of the risks involved with fat transfer to the face? Many people feel like it's an opport. for doctors to earn fast cash? Are you informing patients that if something goes wrong with fat you can't remove it? Are you informing them of the lumpy/bumpy finish? Are you advising them against fat in the eye area? What about the flat look once the fat settles? Exactly what are you telling your patients about this risky procedure?

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

In my hands, fat transfer does extremely well and is long lasting.  I harvest with water assisted technology and use PRP so do not get a lumpy/bumpy feeling.  I think you have to trust the physician expert you go to.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Steven L. Ringler, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question. Though all surgery have risks, I have not found many problems with facial fat transfer if done properly. Yes, the survival of the fat is not 100% predictable,  but I have not seen it shift or settle as you suggest. The fat can't be removed as mentioned and for this reason I never over correct. Also, I never put fat in the eyelid, but in the cheek and tear trough ( but not the eyelid ).I have not seen lumpy/bumby results, but this would be possible if the surgeon is not careful.Like all procedures, there are risks of bleeding, infection, contour irregularities, and the need for further surgery. I don't see this as a "money grab", but as an excellent option that is very helpful in facial rejuvenation. I hope this is helpful

Michael Law, MD · Answer

Because fat grafting has gained popularity, many physicians have jumped on the bandwagon, sometimes with disastrous results.  To perform fat grafting successfully and reproducibly a surgeon must employ careful preoperative planning, appropriate instrumentation and meticulous surgical technique.  It is not something you can 'rush through' or spend just a few minutes on during a larger surgical procedure.  The unfortunate reality is that not everyone who performs fat grafting is willing to put in the level of education, training, investment in instrumentation and operative effort required to produce aesthetically ideal results.One must also have an aesthetic vision for ideal and youthful-appearing facial fullness.  Just like traditional facelift surgery can be overdone or performed incorrectly to produce an unnaturally tight, pulled, 'windswept' look, fat grafting can be overdone to produce an excessively full and even bizarre postoperative appearance.  Too much fat grafted into any area (or any fat placed where it doesn't belong) looks unnatural.  It's analogous to breast augmentation results: if the surgeons selects an appropriate implant volume and positions the implants correctly, the patient gets a beautiful, natural-appearing breast enhancement.  If the surgeons stuffs a pair of 500cc implants behind the breasts of an average-sized patient, then that patient ends up with a cartoonish 'boob job'.  I think many of the unfavorable results in fat grafting are from the overzealous placement of excessive amounts of fat, which may have been the inevitable response to the recent paradigm shift in aesthetic facial surgery: away from the 'wind tunnel look', and towards the restoration of soft tissue volume.Here is one patient’s experience with fat grafting posted to RealSelf:Fat is great when used JUDICIOUSLY and CONSERVATIVELY, but too much of a good thing becomes a nightmare and deeply regrettable. Make sure your surgeon listens, draws up precise operative plans beforehand and makes plenty of time for you and your concerns. Do NOT take it lightly.I couldn’t agree more with this patient’s response to her experience with fat grafting.  Just like breast implants, or liposuction, or browlifts, too much of a good thing is not at all a good thing.  And cosmetic surgery (and this includes the preparation for surgery) of any kind without attention to detail and a focus on natural-appearing results will leave patients feeling disappointed at best and feeling disfigured at worst.  Now regarding whether or not fat grafting is a surgically sound concept…For transferred fat to truly qualify as a 'graft' the following must happen: living tissue must be transferred to a new location, and that tissue must gain a blood supply at the new location which provides oxygen and nutrients which allow it to persist indefinitely as living tissue.  We know that with appropriate instrumentation and technique this is achievable, so one of the opinions expressed in this thread that "most of the cells from fat injection are dead " is simply untrue (and structural fat grafting, to be clear, does not involve 'injection' of fat).  MRI studies have shown that with appropriate technique grafted fat persists long-term as living, vascularized tissue in the recipient site.It is also well-established that adult human fatty tissue contains stem cells that have the capacity to repair damaged or injured tissues, and stem cells can be concentrated during the fat harvesting process.  This effect has applications in both cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.  Fat grafting is now being used, for example, as a means to stimulate the repair of chronic, non-healing wounds.  Several centers have reported on fat grafting immediately below non-healing chronic wounds resulting from radiation therapy for cancer, with rapid improvement and eventual healing of wounds for which no other wound treatment was successful.  The development of stem cell therapies involving the harvesting and processing of viable human fatty tissue is one of the hottest topics in both clinical and experimental medicine today.

R. Stewart Collins, MD · Answer

Fat injections in the face are much more predictable than in other areas.  We recommend it because it is your own tissue and the long term results can be impressive compared to fillers that only last for one to two years.  Risks of any surgery including bleeding, infection, and anesthesia.  With fat grafting, the risks include fat loss, fat necrosis (hardening), oil cysts, and asymmetry.   The area around the eyes is much trickier.  Only VERY experienced plastic surgeons should perform fat grafting around the eyes because the skin is so much thinner.  The initial results can be very lumpy.

Why are so many doctors suggesting fat transfers when it's so unpredictable?

Answers (4)

Answer: Why are so many doctors suggesting fat transfers when it's so unpredictable?

Answer: Why are so many doctors suggesting fat transfers when it's so unpredictable?

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Everything you need to know about Facial Fat Transfer

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Why are so many doctors suggesting fat transfers when it's so unpredictable?

Answers (4)

Answer: Why are so many doctors suggesting fat transfers when it's so unpredictable?

Answer: Why are so many doctors suggesting fat transfers when it's so unpredictable?

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Facial Fat Transfer

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.