How long does it usually take to recover for fat transfer to the hips?

We recommend patients wait a few weeks before resuming normal activities (particularly avoiding pressure in treated area), but you can go back to work before then. See an expert for a formal evaluation. Best, Dr. Emer

Hello and thank you for your question. The recovery process depends on the location and amount of fat transferred.  Generally, most patients return to work within one week of surgery.  Make sure you
specifically look at before and after pictures of real patients who have
had this surgery performed by your surgeon and evaluate their results.  The
most important aspect is to find a surgeon you are comfortable with. I
recommend that you seek consultation with a qualified board-certified plastic
surgeon who can evaluate you in person.
Best wishes and good luck.
Richard G. Reish, M.D.
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

Abigail.    Fat transfer to the hips is done on an outpatient basis, and it is necessary to avoid laying on the areas where fat was transferred for 2 weeks. Depending on amount of fat harvested and number of areas of liposuction, return to work within one week. Be sure to consult with a board certified plastic surgeon, good luck!

Typically if you undergo extensive liposuction for the fat transfer to happen, you need to take it easy and especially avoid bending/twisting/heavy lifting for 2-4 weeks. Regarding sitting/laying on your side, I have my patients avoid direct sitting or pressure over the fat grafted areas for 4-6 weeks. Each surgeon has his/her own preferences and down time also depends on the extent of your procedure, but most of the time people are back to normal or near normal lives after 4 weeks.

The recovery time in this case goes from 5 to 14 days. This depends on the volume of fat removed by liposuction and to the amount of fat infiltrated.

I use tumescent anesthesia and most of my patients return to work in one to two days and begin light exercise at about a week. 

Fat transfer to the hip requires you to not lean on the area for several weeks while the fat tries to obtain a blood supply from the surrounding tissue.  Recovery is usually not too bad and most patients can go back to light duty within 3-5 days.

Recovery times after fat transfer will vary depending on the area and amount of treatment. There can be some discomfort in the donor area after liposuction. The injection site may show some bruising and swelling which will gradually improve and disappear over a few days to two weeks. Patients, if they feel up to it, can resume normal activities immediately after the procedure and, in most cases, are back at work within a week. In general, discomfort is minimal and controlled by oral medications, if needed at all.