Can being elbowed on butt or hip kill fat cells after fat transfer? 4 weeks post op.

Question

I am four weeks post op and my husband stuck his elbow along with his body weight in my hip/butt as he was getting into bed. Even though it was for a few seconds, it really hurt and I’m wondering if at 4 weeks fat was killed.

Dallas Buchanan, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. In a short answer, no, simple contact or even significant pressure for a short period of time would not cause enough trauma to damage the fat cells. It takes much more significant or prolonged injury to compromise the graft.Hope this helps!

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear nknk55,fat viability depends a lot of surgeon technique. The fat has to be placed back into the buttocks as soon as possible so that it has a greater chance of survival. It has to be placed carefully so that not too much fat is placed in only one area. I instruct my patients not to sit for 2 solid weeks. We provide them a specialized pillow that our patients can sit on during that time. They can sleep on their stomachs or sides. This incident probably did not leave any consequence on your results. Daniel Barrett, MD, MHA, MS 
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery  
Member, Am. Society of Plastic Surgery

Carolina Restrepo, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. Don't worry that fat cells are dying because of this as there is no real reason for this to happen. The pressure caused should not sufficient to affect viability of the fat cells.

Jordan P. Farkas, MD · Answer

Hi-    No - inadvertent contact would not cause any problem with your fat grafting. You still may be sore from the procedure which would explain the discomfort. Fat grafting takes 3-6 months to vascularize so we recommend trying to not compress the treated areas for extended periods of time during the healing process to allow the best opportunity for take of the fat grafting. Good Luck!

Can being elbowed on butt or hip kill fat cells after fat transfer? 4 weeks post op.

Answers (4)

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