What Are the Long Term Side Effects of Fat Grafting?

Question

What are the long term side effects of a Brazilian Butt Lift (fat grafting)? Is it possible that the fat can die and cause a bad infection or something worse? I know an implant needs to be replaced after 10-15 yrs but does fat that has been transfered one place to another go bad?

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

Fat grafting to the buttocks is well tolerated. Fat can die, but this not usually problematic. Infection of a serious nature has been reported as well as fat emboli and pulmonary emboli. Having said all of the that, I perform this procedure 4 or 5 times a day (hundreds and hundreds per year). I have had no infections, no hematomas, no blood clots, and no reoperation for fat necrosis or dead fat. Find the plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs the procedure all the time.

Carolina Restrepo, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question. With Brazilian butt lift we transfer fat from one area of the body to the other. These fat cells are transferred in microinjections throughout multiple planes in the buttock tissue so that they can gain new blood supply and live in their new home, providing increased volume and shape to the buttocks.After surgery there is a predictable swelling process that mostly resolves over two months, when the final result really settles in.  The fat that survives is there permanently. Around 70% of fat that is grafted is typically expected to survive long term. We also put a little extra to account for loss of fat post operative, which is reabsorbed gradually by the body.

David Liland, MD · Answer

Initial fat grafting with partial fat death or necrosis is fairly well tolerated in the buttocks and elsewhere. Fat grafting can become infected , fortunately not very often, and might result in spots needing to be lanced and drained and the use of antibiotics. But this is highly uncommon.Long term effects could be partial loss of volume to the area. In breast there is can be  calcification of some of the grafted fat that leads to false positive in mammagraphy that require biopsy

Sacha Obaid, MD · Answer

You are correct that some of the fat that is transferred will not survive long term. That being said, what survives the first 6 months will survive for good. Unlike implants there are no "long term" side effects or issues that you should worry about with Brazilian Butt Lift.

Norman Bakshandeh Day, MD, FACS · Answer

Fat grafting with the brazilian butt lift is very well tolerated. The fat has a high survival rate and the surgery has a low complication rate

What Are the Long Term Side Effects of Fat Grafting?

Answers (5)