Is it necessary to use PRP with fat transfer for a more successful retention rate?

Good question. There is not a tremendous amount of evidence showing that platelet rich plasma improves fat transfer survival. However, anecdotally some surgeons report that they believe there is an improvement with fat retention using platelet rich plasma. Therefore, it is not necessary to use platelet rich plasma for fat transfer but some surgeons such as myself do use it because there is no harm in doing it and it can likely improve results.

There is reasonably good evidence that adding PRP to facial fat grafting helps retention rate due to the growth factors in the PRP. That doesn't mean it is always necessary, especially for lower volumes. It is a difficult thing to measure because there are so many different systems for preparing PRP and the harvest and preparation of the fat. It does add some expense.

Harvesting is important to fat transfer. I use water-assisted fat harvesting which gives pure fat to transfer and combine with platelet rich plasma (PRP) to get the most viable and sustainable fat cells. This can be combined with Sculptra and/or implants to get desired results, if necessary. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with a facial sculpting expert. Best, Dr. Emer