Q: What are the pros and cons of BeautiFill?

Pros The fat transfer treatment is FDA-approved and considered safe, in the hands of a board-certified plastic surgeon. The device allows your surgeon to perform precision fat removal and body contouring, simultaneously with mild skin tightening. The transferred fat can be used for facial rejuvenation or butt, hip, or breast enhancement. You should see results after one procedure, and the volumizing effects may last years (possibly decades) longer than injectable fillers. The procedure is quick, which decreases the risk of trauma to the skin. Post-procedure pain is typically minimal. The extracted fat has an exceptionally high viability rate, according to the manufacturer’s clinical study . The low-level laser energy makes it easier to remove excess fat with minimal tissue damage. This reduces your risk of bleeding, swelling, and bruising, especially compared to traditional fat extraction with tumescent liposuction. Cons You’ll need local anesthesia, which always comes with a slim chance of allergic reactions or complications. While BeautiFill fat transfer can smooth deep folds, it doesn’t diminish fine lines and most other wrinkles: it can only add volume. The procedure is relatively new, so it’s not yet widely available, and RealSelf members have yet to weigh in on whether it's Worth It . Not all providers believe that this fat transfer technology provides superior fat transfer results, and the manufacturer's clinical study cited results from just 10 patients.

Question 1

What is BeautiFill fat transfer?

Accepted Answer

BeautiFill is a first-of-its-kind FDA-approved system for laser liposuction and fat grafting. A BeautiFill procedure uses a 1470 nm wavelength, laser-encased cannula to loosen and harvest excess fat cells from areas like the chin, hips, thighs, flanks, and abdomen. This low-level laser breaks up the fat without liquefying it, gently suctions it out, and rapidly processes it for transfer to another body area.

This streamlined system allows plastic surgeons to more quickly extract, prepare, and transfer natural fat to other areas of the body or face, with a greater fat cell viability rate than any other harvesting method. The laser energy also tightens lax skin, reducing the risk of sagging once the fat’s removed.

In a process called autologous fat transfer, this refined fat can then be injected by your surgeon into other areas. It can add volume to cheeks, the under-eyes, lips, or nasolabial folds; fill pitted scars; or create more fullness in the breasts or buttocks.

According to a clinical study funded by the manufacturer, the most significant advantage of harvesting fat with BeautiFill is its average fat cell viability rate of more than 95%. It's worth noting that this study only included 10 patients, but these results are a significant improvement over traditional fat harvesting methods. With a method like tumescent liposuction, 30–50% of fat cells used in breast fat transfer or a Brazilian butt lift typically die within three months, and facial fat grafting patients may lose 40–60% of transferred cells. These poor viability rates have made fat transfer results unpredictable, with a risk of contour irregularities and asymmetry.

If BeautiFill results live up to the promise of those clinical trial results and the technology becomes widespread, it could take a lot of the uncertainty out of all kinds of fat transfer procedures.

Some doctors on RealSelf remain skeptical. "There are quite a lot of variables that make a difference in fat survival after transfer, and the method of taking the fat is only one of these," says Dr. Robert Buchanan, a plastic surgeon in Highlands, North Carolina. "Use of a laser, no matter how modified, is not going to make much difference in the result, but it does make the procedure more expensive. After you harvest the fat there are still multiple variables that determine the take and the results, and the laser cannot modify any of these."

Question 2

What are the pros and cons of BeautiFill?

Accepted Answer

Pros

The fat transfer treatment is FDA-approved and considered safe, in the hands of a board-certified plastic surgeon.
The device allows your surgeon to perform precision fat removal and body contouring, simultaneously with mild skin tightening.
The transferred fat can be used for facial rejuvenation or butt, hip, or breast enhancement.
You should see results after one procedure, and the volumizing effects may last years (possibly decades) longer than injectable fillers.
The procedure is quick, which decreases the risk of trauma to the skin. Post-procedure pain is typically minimal.
The extracted fat has an exceptionally high viability rate, according to the manufacturer’s clinical study.
The low-level laser energy makes it easier to remove excess fat with minimal tissue damage. This reduces your risk of bleeding, swelling, and bruising, especially compared to traditional fat extraction with tumescent liposuction.

Cons

You’ll need local anesthesia, which always comes with a slim chance of allergic reactions or complications.
While BeautiFill fat transfer can smooth deep folds, it doesn’t diminish fine lines and most other wrinkles: it can only add volume.
The procedure is relatively new, so it’s not yet widely available, and RealSelf members have yet to weigh in on whether it's Worth It.
Not all providers believe that this fat transfer technology provides superior fat transfer results, and the manufacturer's clinical study cited results from just 10 patients.

Question 3

Who makes a good candidate for BeautiFill?

Accepted Answer

BeautiFill treatment is suitable for nonsmokers in good physical health, without conditions that affect circulation or healing. Keep in mind that it’s not a weight-loss treatment.

Avoid BeautiFill (and other body contouring procedures) if you're pregnant or breastfeeding.

Question 4

What happens during a BeautiFill procedure?

Accepted Answer

First, you’ll have a consultation with your provider (typically a physician or plastic surgeon) to discuss your aesthetic goals, including where you’d like to add volume. They’ll assess the best areas for fat harvesting.

BeautiFill is performed on an outpatient basis, which means you'll go home after the procedure.

On the day of your procedure, your doctor will start by marking on your body where they’ll remove excess fat, typically the abdomen, hips, butt, or thighs. These areas will be numbed with a local anesthetic.

Your surgeon will make a small incision in the skin and insert the BeautiFill wand. They’ll move it back and forth to capture fat cells, which will be suctioned out and immediately processed inside a canister on the device.

They’ll then use these refined, live fat cells to fill a syringe and gradually inject the fat into the body area where you want more volume.

Question 5

Is BeautiFill painful?

Accepted Answer

The procedure is typically performed under local anesthesia, so you'll be technically awake but deeply relaxed and sleepy, with no discomfort during the procedure.

If you're having a larger fat transfer procedure like a BBL, you may be given general anesthesia, so you'll be completely asleep.

According to the manufacturer, BeautiFill's laser energy results in less bruising and swelling than other fat-harvesting procedures like traditional liposuction. Because of this, recovery should be quicker and less painful.

Question 6

How long does BeautiFill recovery take?

Accepted Answer

You can expect 24 to 48 hours of downtime after volumizing small areas, such as the cheeks. With larger procedures like fat transfer breast augmentation, you may have more swelling and tenderness and up to a week of recovery.

Having fat injected into your buttocks, commonly called a Brazilian butt lift (or BBL), is a much more involved procedure that can involve several weeks of downtime. BBL surgery also comes with safety risks, so it’s essential that you find a board-certified plastic surgeon who has years of experience performing the procedure and is fully aware of the most recent BBL safety recommendations.

Question 7

What are the alternatives to BeautiFill?

Accepted Answer

For replenishing lost volume in the face, injectable fillers are still the most popular option. They’re also less expensive, but the results won’t be nearly as long-lasting.

Juvéderm offers several formulas to volumize and plump various areas of the face. It’s a hyaluronic acid (HA) dermal filler that naturally dissolves within a year or two, and it can be dissolved early if you have a complication or don’t like your results—something you can’t do with your own fat.
Restylane is also an HA filler that adds volume to the face and hands. Like Juvéderm, it offers several formulas with different levels of “liftability” that work better in certain situations and metabolize slightly differently. It’s also dissolvable.
Bellafill is an FDA-approved bovine collagen dermal filler that’s injected into the face to improve volume loss. It lasts for about five years, and it can’t be dissolved early.
Sculptra Aesthetic also contains HA, but it lasts two to three years. It’s specifically indicated for facial volume that’s been lost due to aging or drastic weight loss—but not around the eyes or lips. Some providers use it off-label (in a non-FDA-approved way) in a Sculptra butt lift.

Question 8

Sources & studies

Accepted Answer

Alma Lasers to Debut BeautiFill Fat Transfer System (2019)

Beautifill – the First Laser-Based Procedure for Autologous Fat Transfer, Now Available in Leawood, KS at Premier Vein & Body by Schwartz (2020)

Dermatology Times Staff, Alma Lasers announces availability of BeautiFill (2019)

Hsu J.T.S., New in My Practice: BeautiFill from Alma Lasers (2019)

Remove Volume to Restore Volume With BeautiFill, The First Laser-Based Procedure For Autologous Fat Transfer (2019)

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Colleen Williams

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