Is the procedure done under general anesthesia or can it be local? How long can it last and what prolongs its half life? Can prp help? I also read somewhere that even if the fat goes away, 1/3 remains. Is this true? Does that mean if it's done multiple times it will last longer?
July 10, 2017
Answer: How long does fat grafting last Fat grafting is considered a permanent treatment for autologous augmentation. It can be performed under local or general anesthesia. Fat grafting techniques vary, and as such so do the results. I use a small cannula to harvest, and inject with a 1 mm cannula in most cases. The fat is placed in a centrifuge and spun for a minute to remove any blood or serum which is not valuable in the transfer process. The use of additives such as PRP or other signaling materials have not been shown to clearly enhance fat grafting results. However, in situations where a patient is particularly lean, there may be some possible improvement in results. Simply put, if a patient has difficulty "holding onto fat", an additional substrate such as PRP may have benefit, but we simply don't have enough experience or ways to consistently measure these results to know the answer.
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July 10, 2017
Answer: How long does fat grafting last Fat grafting is considered a permanent treatment for autologous augmentation. It can be performed under local or general anesthesia. Fat grafting techniques vary, and as such so do the results. I use a small cannula to harvest, and inject with a 1 mm cannula in most cases. The fat is placed in a centrifuge and spun for a minute to remove any blood or serum which is not valuable in the transfer process. The use of additives such as PRP or other signaling materials have not been shown to clearly enhance fat grafting results. However, in situations where a patient is particularly lean, there may be some possible improvement in results. Simply put, if a patient has difficulty "holding onto fat", an additional substrate such as PRP may have benefit, but we simply don't have enough experience or ways to consistently measure these results to know the answer.
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July 8, 2017
Answer: How long do fat transfers usually last? And can PRP help it last longer? Thank you for your questions. The viability of transferred fat depends on the surgeon technique, the patient factors, the location, and several other factors. Sometimes it can be done under local but I prefer to do most fat transfer procedures under general anesthesia. The fat that survives is considered to be permanent but the percentage that survives depends on several factors as well. Multiple procedures are done to improve volume of fat transferred and viability, not the length of time.Bottom line, make sure you are seeing a local board certified plastic surgeon. Hope this helps!
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July 8, 2017
Answer: How long do fat transfers usually last? And can PRP help it last longer? Thank you for your questions. The viability of transferred fat depends on the surgeon technique, the patient factors, the location, and several other factors. Sometimes it can be done under local but I prefer to do most fat transfer procedures under general anesthesia. The fat that survives is considered to be permanent but the percentage that survives depends on several factors as well. Multiple procedures are done to improve volume of fat transferred and viability, not the length of time.Bottom line, make sure you are seeing a local board certified plastic surgeon. Hope this helps!
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