How many months between staged fat transfer for volume loss?

Question

I have volume loss from a botched facial liposuction (done without my consent during submental liposuction). I have a senior, experienced surgeon who has revision experience with fat grafting. He will do stages fat transfer every 3-6 months. What is best in timing this? The first will be a very small amount to build up areas with little to no subcutaneous fat. Any thoughts?

Karthik Ram, MRCS, DNB · Answer

Hello madrigal,
The plan given by your plastic surgeon appears best. Volume should be gradually built up in stages. Minimum of 3 months gap is advised so as to know the proper result of previous stage surgery in order to plan the volume of fat for next stage. 
Hope this helps. Thank for your query here.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

There are two primary reasons to wait between scheduled series of procedures.
The first is to allow final results to happen which is usually seen in about three months without expected further change.  The second reason is to allow scar tissue to mature and some people believe this continues for up to six months.

Most plastic surgeons use six months but The face tends to heal faster so three months may be reasonable.

Patients sometimes lose faith or have expectations of more improvement from the procedure and this is typically what strays patience of schedule.  My recommendation is for patients to have stage procedures at a slow rate rather than a fast one to have more time to get used to the impact of the change of each procedure.  It varies from person to person. Some people don’t have the financial means to afford surgery again and again for procedures that sometimes take multiple sessions.  grafting cautiously to build up fat in the face is appropriate. It is very difficult work and delivering results in part with patients expectations or wishes is sometimes difficult.  grafted tissue will survive better in areas where it’s less needed because of an abundance of host tissue to support the graft. The procedure bites very nature will favor fat or you don’t need it and create graft loss or you need the volume the most.

Correcting poorly done Liposuction is technically difficult.  What can be achieved is highly dependent on what the surgeon has to work with and who does the procedure.

Your plastic surgeon should make the decision.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom MD

How many months between staged fat transfer for volume loss?

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How many months between staged fat transfer for volume loss?

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