Can deep tissue massage kill fat cells 10 years post-op?

Dear court81,

10 years after transfer, your transferred cells are the same as your normal fat cells. It is unlikely that deep tissue massage will cause their death.

Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Thank you for your query. At this time, ten years after your BBl the injected fat in the buttocks is a part of the normal tissues and is as resistant to pressure as the surrounding fat. While extreme trauma can cause fat necrosis, deep tissue massage is extremely unlikely to do so. Please find an experienced board certified Plastic surgeon who can examine you and help you with all your concerns. All the best!

As with any other graft (skin, cartilage, bone, nerve) immobilization of tissue allow for ingrowth of new blood vessels which are crucial for survival of graft. If tissue is moving (massage) during that process, new blood vessels will not reach the target and most of them will not survive. Hope this helps.