Do Fat Cells Die and Reproduce and Does This Effect Grafted Fat?

If grafted fat cells die they will not necessarily get replaced with other fat cells, although the fat inside the cell may to some extent be taken up by other surviving fat cells.

There is evidence that some of the fat cells that have been transferred may become dormant or be re-absorbed.  This is highly dependent on the fat procurement and grafting techniques, as well as the preparation of the recipient site.

We have seen an actual increase in volume after 6 months in some cases of macro fat transfer (breast and buttocks).  This is actually due to the fact that the fat cells that survive are normally functioning fat cells and will behave like normal tissue, responding to weight gain and loss as they would have in the body area where they came from.

There are other cells (sometimes called stem or pluri-potential cells) that are present in the grafted fat.  These cells may produce more fat cells, and therefore increase the total numbers.  Studies on this matter are being added every day.  Dr. Rigotti's studies on the matter are very informative.

Horror movie zombies and vampires are the only dead things that get around and reproduce. Although genetically, inability to reproduce is defined as death, physiologocally the lack of sufficient oxygen needed to sustain the most basic processes required to sustain function leads to irreversible breakdown of the cell and its eventual break up.
- heart muscle death = heart attack
- brain death = stroke
- fat cells death or non-take means those fat cells will go away forever and be replaced by some scar tissue.

Fat cells that die after transfer to a new area do not reproduce, but are permanently lost. Fortunately this is rare in most people when the work is done by an experienced surgeon. Living cells provide the results seen after successful fat grafting.  Normal fat cells will increase or decrease in size as we gain or lose weight. Liposuction or fat harvesting will decrease the number of fat cells in that area.

When doing a fat transfer procedure the surgeon removes the fat from one area the "donor site" which is typically abdomen, love handle, inner thighs. The fat is then placed in a centrifuge and spun down separating the fat from blood and liquid. This leaves the surgeon with fat for injection. The fat is then injected into the "receiving site." The fat cells that survive this process become viable fat cells. Fat cells that do not will be reabsorbed by the body. Fat cells do not reproduce however they may be transferred to other areas. You are born with a certain number of fat cells and those cells get smaller and larger depending upon weight gain. Once the cells are removed you do not reproduce more fat cells.