POSTED UNDER Facial Fat Transfer REVIEWS
Fat Transfer...don't Do It. -Beverly Hills, CA
ORIGINAL POST
My experience with fat transfer has been nothing...
$2,500
My experience with fat transfer has been nothing less than a nightmare that I can't seem to wake up from. Two years ago I was talked into this procedure when I went to have a breast implant replacement.
I actually never had any intention of doing anything to my face. In fact, I thought I looked pretty good for a 60 year old woman and was often told I looked far younger than my age. But he convinced me it was a totally safe, non-surgical procedure that would "perk up my look". I was assured there was absolutely no down-side or risk. I was sponsoring my high school reunion 4 months later & he assured me I would be completely healed by that time. Since I was going to be under anesthesia for the implants anyway, I decided to go ahead.
That decision has turned out to be one of the worst mistakes of my life. Not only was I unable to attend my class reunion, I was too ashamed too leave my home for nearly a year and thereafter only with sunglasses on. My face still looks like a puffed up goldfish. Huge cheeks and no hollow left below them (hollows that I specifically asked to remain). I was grossly "overfilled" and it has never gone down. But the worst part was my eyes. I was left with several hard lumps just above my eyelids near the brow bone, puffy & drooping lids and a sac of loose fat under one eye. The lower lid (the pink waterline) was exposed on one eye. The normal crease of my lid had disappeared and the skin above my eyes was crepey where it had previously been smooth. My once large eyes looked like pinholes and the shape of my eyes was completely changed...and not in a good way. One eye looked completely different from the other. For the first 3 months, I was told it was just temporary, that it would improve over time. That didn't happen. The only place the fat did not persist was the laugh lines, the only place I actually needed it.
In the 4th month I was foolish enough to let the original PS attempt a revision on my eyes. That only made matters worse. It left me with scars from the attempt to recreate a crease in my lid as well as a failed attempt to remove the lumps. After a year, I consulted with several eye surgeons to see what could be done. All agreed it was a disastrous outcome & said that FT should never have been used anywhere near my eyes. One tried injections of 5FU to reduce the lumps, but that was unsuccessful. Surgery was my only other recourse and because of the scars & the difficulty of removing the fat, I was told to expect only minimal improvement. It took an additional year of consults before I worked up the nerve to have the surgery. I simply had to get my life back, even if only marginally.
I am still in the recovery stage, just 6 weeks post op, so not sure how much improvement I might end up with. So far, the sac under the left eye appears to be gone where he removed the fat and repositioned my own to smooth it over. A couple of lumps still persist, but are smaller. He reshaped my eyelids and tho not perfect, are somewhat closer to my originals. The revisions on the previous scars are better...less raised and placed where they are not as noticeable. My eyes still look smaller than before the FT, but he did the best he could given the what he had to work with. I am not the same as before FT, but I've done all that is possible near my eyes without further risk. When I recover from this physically & financially, I will still need to address the huge cheeks, but that will have to wait.
The cost of multiple consults, injections, airfare & hotels for multiple trips to CA, and the surgery is now well over $30,000...and I still don't look like myself. The time wasted on trying to fix this can never be regained. But the worst cost of all has been my loss of self-confidence & self-esteem. I am not the same person. I'm not sure if I will ever really except what has happened. Please don't do this to yourself. Read the many reviews with similar results...and by many different PS. The FT procedure is simply too risky. And if it goes bad, there is little hope of a fix...something they don't tell you when you enter into this. If you must do something, stick with temporary fills. They will cost you far less in the long run.
notsogood's provider
Replies (65)
March 12, 2013
I am sad and sorry you had to go through this. I am right there with you. I was a very attractive woman-head turner, if you will. My nightmare started when i went to Bradford Patt in Houston for a little restylane before an event. He overfilled to the point where I look ridiculous and had craters. He tried to fix with wydase and it literally took away the filler AND my own fat. YES-they will tell it doesn't happen but it does. So i went to a well known surgeon on the west coast who is considered the GURU of fat by many doctors. He said he could fix my problem with facelift and fat. NOW-3 months in-I look horrible. The fat is disppearing and there are lumps, divots, and the eyes-OMG-I had beautiful eyes that are now assymetrical and so deep set I don't recognize myself. Guess what the doctor recommended??? Therapy and more fat. He had the nerve to tell me I have BDD. How about doc, "you ripped me off for 35K and I look awful????" He's changed his story about 3-4 times and has actually told me things now he claims he told me up front. Like you, not true. I will post his name one of these days. Once I am done with him, I will make sure everyone out there knows who it is. If we continue to support these doctors, they will never stop. Its ruined my face and my life. I am embarrased when I see friends. I won't go back to certain people (hairdressers, etc) because I am so embarrased. Friends have all been kind and not said what they they really feel. Only two have told me the truth and it wasn't pretty. THIS IS THE WORST THING EVER.
March 12, 2013
All of us who have been victims of this have been thru many of the same things you are now experiencing and truly understand the devastation. We have lost our quality of life & our sense of identity. We have paid dearly both emotionally & financially. So we really must continue to be vocal about how bad FT can go. The PS's make it sound so harmless...and are promoting it like its the fountain of youth. They don't tell you that you are taking a risk that could ruin your life & then they deny that once it happens. Its your word against theirs. Unfortunately those who come here to read about FT too often don't listen to our warnings. They read the good reviews from those who managed not to be damaged (akin to winning the lottery) or the many phony reviews written by the office staff of the doctors themselves or friends. It appeals to one's natural tendency to accept only the info that you simply want to believe. And they are told by these PS that we are just nutcases who complain over nothing. Rather we are just normal women, just like they are, who have been taken in by the greed and incompetence of the PS's who perform this procedure with abandon & little regard for the consequences if it goes wrong. It's easy money for those who lack the conscience to refuse to continue with this procedure, even after they know how many lives have been ruined. My current PS, says his practice has increased significantly with fat transfer repair work. As an eye specialist, he is really concerned that others are still using FT anywhere near the eyes. The tissue is too delicate and thin...and there is little chance it will not lump and scar. And attempts to fix it are limited & risky. You can never really get back to where you were. The other area difficult to fix is near the mouth. If anyone who is considering FT is reading this...please, please reconsider. Write us a personal message & talk to us. Judge for yourself if we are "nutcases" or just unfortunate victims of a bad procedure who only wanted to improve their appearance a bit...just like you. The risk is too great.
March 20, 2013
I'm sorry you are still dealing with this, NotSoGood and Red Roxie. Nobody understands the pure hell of this. Can I ask who is your new doctor? It does sound like he was able to improve you, just not to your baseline standard. God, I want you to get to a place where you can be released from this pain.I don't even care about pretty anymore- just no more mental anguish. Did you ever look into that eye specialist in Virginia, Dr Carraway, who helped me? I have the fat lumpiness near the mouth.
March 21, 2013
Hi DRoy...my new dr is Dr. Michael Groth in Beverly Hills CA. Eye specialist and very conservative in treatment, but chose him because of that. Terrifed that the wrong decision could leave me with vision problems. I think he did the best he could with what he had to work with...but still can't say I look like myself. The improvement was minimal..but at least there was some & I didn't get worse. Lumps are at least smaller & easier to hide with makeup. And he did even out that sac under the right eye so its less noticeable. I don't think there is more I can do without risk to my sight, there simply is no tissue left after the revisions. I think younger patients could expect more success in that regard as aging leaves the eye area with less underlying tissue. So I've decided to work on dealing with accepting that what is...is...as far as my eyes are concerned. Not having great progress with acceptance yet, but I'm hoping I will eventually get there. I haven't addressed my "chubby cheeks" or the loss of my under cheek hollows (that I liked) and that is part of the reason I still don't look like myself. I will have to recover from this part before I decide what to do there...if anything. That will require a different surgeon anyway as Groth only does eyes. How is the lumpiness near your mouth doing...any progress there for you yet? Let me know how you are doing.
March 21, 2013
NotSoGood- I'm so glad you responded right away- you girls are like old friends for me. Nobody understands this hell except you guys. I have a feeling not Notsogood this is another step on your journey- your doc has great creds and I'm glad you are putting yourself in good hands-you deserve it.
He told you that's all he can do for the eyes? God, the eyes are the worst. Could you tell me again what exactly is the issue with eyes? I was told there was nothing more and I sought a second opinion. Make sure he can't do anymore... I know he's the best but still... The courage to change what you can change and to accept what you can't. It's a very delicate balance, especially around the eyes. But they can add skin grafts- wouldn't that give them more to play with? I'm assuming the fear is you wouldn't be able to close your eyes. Dr. Carraway added rystaline around the eyes and nobody else does that around the eyes and I would never trust anyone but him. If you could wave a magic wand what would be the one thing that would make your eyes more you? What would you change? There's always that one eye that's worse than the other.
The chubby check part... I would look into that- you need to feel empowered, you need hope. I would send pictures to Dr. Carraway- get an opinion on both issues because he's right up there with Dr. Groth. He's an eye expert and he also does fat revision. What I did every day I would do something to move me forward- e-mail a doctor, etc, so I wouldn't feel STUCK, don't stay there. There's that ephoric hope before surgery followed by that disappointment. I know that disappointment. Keep in touch with us, hon.
March 21, 2013
Yep you are so right about the support system here at RealSelf. I'm sure I wuuld have lost my sanity (or worse) by now without benefit of kindred spirits here who can relate to the emotional roller coaster we are all on. The complaining wears thin on family & friends after awhile...but I do understand their frustration. I will be seeing Groth again at the 3 month post-op mark (around May 1st)...he said he would evaluate the situation then regarding the remaining lumps & the difference in eye appearance. He did a ptosis surgery for a drooping eyelid on the left eye (existing genetic condition made much worse by the FT) & he says that may still change some over the next month...so its a "wait and see" regarding the difference in eye size. He may be able to do a tad more on the lumps, but unlikely given I would be at risk for losing more tissue...& I've been told by several docs, I have none to spare. Both eyes already don't close all the way when I sleep. Worse on one eye than the other. I have to use a thick ointment at night to keep my eyes from drying out. There is still some FT fat in the upper corner of my right eye going up to the brow...but I've had 4 eye specialists (Massry, Parsi, Goldberg & Groth) tell me its just too risky removing it from that area without obvious scarring or deformity. I have to accept that one, not worth the risk. My wish list is to get the lumps down more, but may not be a realistic. Also I have a strange dent that appears on either side of my nose when I smile likely caused by my over-filled cheeks. Cheek pushes up on the left side more than the right making the eye size/shape difference much more apparent. A little restylane may be able to camoflage the dent or some well placed botox to freeze the motion. Something to hold me over until I can see if the cheek issue can resolved in some way. But will have to wait till I'm fully healed before Groth can even consider attempting that. If he says no on that at that point, I will take your advice on consulting with Dr. Carraway to get a 2nd opinion. I have heard good things about Carraway elsewhere too...& I've been thru just about every PS in Beverly Hills, lol! I do know I would rather do temp fills or botox forever rather than try any further attempts with FT (never again for FT!)...even if it means flying to Virginia (or where-ever) twice a year for upkeep. But for right now, I am trying to be patient till Groth makes his final evalution. As you know, the limbo stage is not easy...expecially when ultimately... it's usually disappointing news. Aaargh! You didn't mention how your mouth situation is...any improvement at all?
March 21, 2013
To be honest my situation is nowhere near yours. I have these grooves where a plastic surgeon removed the fat around my mouth from a botched fat injection in the mouth chin area and I'm sure it looks bad but I look in the mirror and most times I don't see it. I've kind of moved on emotionally for the most part. I should go down and let Dr. Carraway put Rystaline in it. It would be much improved, but it's such a money drain!
I've got one eye that is smaller than the other and the inner corner is pinched off where it used to be more opened up but the good news is how amazing it helps to put dark eye pencil in the corner and pump up the smaller eye with more makeup. It creates a shadow that simulates my old eye. And also I got these really cute oversized horn rimmed glasses and I just wear those. It helps if you can have a public face that PROTECTS you emotionally. I HOPE you are wearing cute glasses. That is priority #1.-Do not look at this all the time! When this first happened I relied on glasses- I just couldn't look at myself. The problem is now that I'm attractive again, I mean I'n not as pretty as I was, but I'm still pretty, I guess- I still don't wear contacts. This s- tramatizes you. Even though I've gotten to a good place, for me it still not perfect and it takes a lot of courage to put my contacts in. I break out in a sweat. Because I don't know what I'm going to see. I'm afraid my face will "attack" me. And I just don't think about this s--- anymore because I just can't handle it.
I appreciate your telling me about your situation. It's so friggin unbeliveable what they can do to you! And they talk you into it when you don't even want it! E-mail Dr. Carraway your pictures and see what he says. There may be somebody out there who has an idea. What the h--.! I will light a candle for you tonight and say a prayer. You are not at the end yet. Remember that.
March 22, 2013
Yep, I'm into the cute glassess trick, lol! For a long time it was dark sunglasses, but it got weird wearing those at dinner. I usually wear reading glasses when I need them, but got a pair of non-rx to wear around when I'm not wearing those... to hide behind. And I've been playing with makeup to make the same adjustments as you do for the eye differences. Right now tho, in the healing stage, makeup really irritates my eyes...so I can only do that for short periods of time. The cheeks are impossible to hide, but I use shading to recreate my lost hollows and that helps a bit. The worst time is mornings & before bed when I have to look in the mirror, sans makeup, while I deal with my cleansing regimen. Not a good way to start or end my day. It's not pretty. Before I did the FT, I used Rystalane on a regular basis. I can assure you that the more you use it...the longer it lasts and you don't have to have it refilled nearly as often. And you build up sort of a base that needs less and less fill as you go along.. At 1st fills only lasted 4 months, then 6, then almost 9 and ultimately I could get away with only having it done about once a year...& only one tube. If you go to the same person for injections, they know right where to put it after the first couple of times, so there is less waste. And they become familiar with what works and what doesn't on your face. I imagine on a younger person like yourself, it would work that way even better for you. So it isn't nearly the hassle or money drain as you might imagine. You might want to reconsider that option at some point. Just wish I had stuck with that instead of the dreaded FT that he talked me into. For what its cost me in revisions...I could have had rystalane and/or botox done monthly for the rest of my life...& looked flawless! I'm still so angry at that jerk for screwing me over like this. I'll see where I stand in a month & then move on to emailing Carraway to see what he thinks. Thanks again for the referral...and the candles :-)
March 22, 2013
I'm terrified to let any doctor add fillers at this point and I have lost a ton of fat on the left. No fat loss on the right Can you imagine how bad I look? The fat around the eyes has disappeared and left hollows where I never had hollows before. The temple brow lift has also changed my eyes. I'm going to see two eye specialists. Dr Groth and one other in my home town. I need to know what can be done to fix the way it looks. I have a large fat lump by my mouth and a large lump in my lip that blisters constantly. My doc won't do anything until 6 months has passed. I'm sure at 6 months he will say 12. My big reunion is next month. (4 months post op) That was the point of all this surgery. He has not made one suggestion that is helpful. I suggested he refund my money. That would be most helpful to me as I will need to pay others to fix this mess.All 35K of it-I want back. He has not responded. How did I know that would happen. And this is a TOP DOC. Had the nerve to say -"you seem angry" REALLY???????????????
March 22, 2013
The statute of limitations to file a malpractice suit in California is one year. When these crooks tell us, “give it six months”, then “give it nine months”, then “give it one year”, I truly believe they are trying to string us along on false hope until the statute of limitations has expired. Not that is it easy to sue a plastic surgeon - but I believe they do this to insulate themselves from the possibility.
March 22, 2013
of course they are-you are so right. I just want to inject with him with all kinds of horrible things that will make him feel UGLY and WEIRD and MISERABLE. God, that would make me sooooooooooo happy right now!
September 13, 2014
Red Roxie I too went thru this nightmare with Dr. Timothy Marten of San Francisco who takes no responsibility and offers no refunds but instead blames you the patient for the lumps, dents, and deformities that are a result of a facelift and fat injections. Did we not enter into an agreement of faith with this DR and how is it that he can continue to treat patients in this way and take no responsibilty ? God help us all.
April 5, 2015
Wow, you paid $35K for fat transfer? Yikes! Sorry to hear about your ordeal. I'm starting to believe that there are more unsatisfied (or horrified, in your case) patients out there than satisfied, when it comes to cosmetic work. Or maybe the people that have had bad results post their experiences more than those who have had good results. Being worse off than you were before the procedure takes the dis-satisfaction to another level! How are you doing these days... has there been any improvement in 2 years??
November 1, 2016
March 21, 2013
You may want to check out Dr. Holcomb in Sarasota, FL. He does a lot of corrections on individuals who have had problems with FT, especially overfilling the areas such as your cheeks (he actually removes the fat where individuals were overfilled). I have heard many positive things about him; I have not had FT so I cannot provide you with first hand experience.
March 21, 2013
Aloha 2018anon! Thank you for the referral on Dr. Holcomb...will definitely look into it when I am ready to work on getting rid of these nasty chipmunk cheeks that Chahin gave me. I do hope you NEVER even consider trying FT...its brutal trying to get rid of it.
December 13, 2013
Thank you for the referal to Dr. Holcomb. I am very interested in this procedure and I have seen more positive than negative with this and the negative reports don't show any pictures so it's very personal as I told her that I paid $800 for some silicon in my lips that you can't see any difference whatsoever and much like she describes, I walked in blind and Dr. Swanson in Clearwater, (check his background) talked me into this and he acted like this was normal and I should be glad it wasn't too much. I'm pretty sure I uploaded the pictures...none of my friend's see any difference. I do think that the fat transfer is a gradual process and not instant like fillers. I want to know about how important to also do the rich blood plasma with it.
December 13, 2013
The reason you don't see pictures is because for most of us it is a devastating and upsetting life changing event in our lives. I for one am too embarrassed to post my pictures, it looks that bad. Several positive reviews have been written by office staff of doctors who do the procedure. One gal here keeps changing he call name because she was exposed by a patient who went to the doctor she works for. She has photos posted, but never actually had the procedure done. She just uses photos taken on a bad day for "before"...and better days for after, lol! And realself is for some odd reason promoting this procedure by only sending out "updates" that are positive. Please be careful if decide to do this...it is nearly impossible to reverse once it goes bad...and it goes bad alot. I've met a few other women that ended up like me. It's tragic especially because they are so much younger than myself & so much prettier before this happened to them. One of them has permanent lumps on one side of her lips & has had no success getting it removed. I removed the fat under my eyes but am left with permanent dark circles and a large divot under my right eye that has to be filled with restylane every 4-6 months. It's difficult to make my eyes look even & its costly. The last 3 years of my life has been hell. I've spent nearly $30,000 trying to find a permanent fix with little improvement & damage to my vision in the process. My eyes are no longer mine & I miss the old me. I wish you well, but sincerely hope you reconsider doing this to yourself. Its a nightmare that doesn't end when you wake up the next day...or any day. Good luck
December 14, 2013
Aloha 2018anon...I got your update about changing your mind about recommending Holcomb. Can you share with us your friend's experience?
January 14, 2014
Chellamia, fat transfer is often not a gradual process. I would also not use PRP with it. I once read something about a woman who had a bone growing thru her eye after doing something like that! You do hear of people saying they're getting a "gradual" method but those people may actually like being overfilled gradually! That's what I reckon. Either way, we don't get to see everyone who says their fat transfer "went well" nor the doctors who did it, so we don't know how it looks on all of them nor how it took. On the flip side, I doubt anyone has much in the way of motivation to make up a story about how their fat trasnfer went bad, lumpy, and couldn't be fixed. The fact is, some people having fat transfer also have unconventional taste in plastic surgery and having seen some of the "good" results on here, I am not convinced that this procedure, as it's commonly done, caters to a mainstream taste - a bit like butt implants or silicone injections. Definitely not everyone's cup of tea.
July 5, 2013
Thank you so much for writing and telling your story. It was extremely helpful. I am so very sorry for all that you have been through. I wish you nothing but the best.
December 13, 2013
I now know someone who had fat grafting by Dr. Holcomb and had a terrible experience. So I no longer encourage you to check him out for fat removal. Wishing you the very best in finding ways to heal.
January 14, 2014
Oh gosh. What happened? Surely he could remove the fat afterwards though... right?
You have been such a friend and asset to the fat transfer community, notsogood. I'm so sorry your procedure didn't go well, but thank you nonetheless for sharing your story. *hugs* It is so helpful for others who are trying to research fat transfer and make their own decisions.