My Ribcage and Spine Are Visible. Will Fat Transfer Help Hide the Bones?

Question

I am 5'7" and about 130 pounds. I recently gained about 15 pounds due to starting a new, sedentary job. I thought with the weight gain, my ribs and vertebral processes would be less visible. I have read about fat transfers for other perceived problems. Is there any minimally invasive procedure that would help with my situation? (Picture from before weight gain, but one of the reasons I started looking into ways to correct the problem.)

Ron Shelton, MD · Answer

As you want to hide your ribs, you would need to have enough of a donor site to harvest fat for fat injections. It would be very difficult if you had enough donor areas, to inject and hide the ribs without causing lumpiness, and there is a risk of a dropped lung (pneumothorax).

Parham Ganchi, PhD, MD · Answer

While in theory this procedure could be done.  Realistically, if you are so thin that your ribs and spine are showing too much, then you probably don't have enough fat on your body for an effective fat transfer anyway.  The best way to hide the bony prominences is to gain some weight.  Good luck!

	Dr. Parham Ganchi

Peter A. Aldea, MD · Answer

Being extremely thin means that there will not be enough fat under the skin to hide bony prominences. There is NO "noninvasive" way to transfer fat. Fat transfer requires liposuction, fat processing and fat grafting through multiple injections. In my opinion, the cheapest, most effective way to cover your bony prominences is to put on a few more pounds; the currently empty fat cells under the skin will fill up more and hide the ribs.

My Ribcage and Spine Are Visible. Will Fat Transfer Help Hide the Bones?

Answers (3)