subject: Plastic Surgery: Know About The Risks Involved In Fat Transfer [print this page] The method of transferring fat from one area of the body to another originally began over one hundred years ago in Germany in order to aid in a person's facial deformity. Today it is a technique used in a variety of body regions for a variety of reasons.
An age old joke among women desiring a more idealized figure was to just take a little from one area where they wanted to lose weight and add it to another area, such as the breasts. That little joke has become a reality as physicians are doing just that.
There are other fillers that are also used to plump wrinkles, scars, etc. that are referred to as dermal fillers. These would be appropriate for small indentations such as laugh lines or scars. Fat seems like a good idea to many people because it is something they're eager to move around from certain areas and because it is already a part of their own body.
In a fat transfer procedure, extra adipose tissue (another name for fat) is harvested from one region and injected into another. With the relatively common use of liposuction, which is the removal of excess bulging areas by inserting a device called a cannula into the deposits, liquefying and then suctioning it, the harvesting and transferring of adipose is accomplished fairly easily.
This method has been used in order to sculpt faces, breasts, plump wrinkled hands, augment breasts and buttocks and reduce the appearance of scarring. The adipose is often harvested from the abdomen, thighs, or upper arms.
Some fairly common complications include bruising, swelling, redness and puffiness. Some reabsorption is expected so physicians tend to inject more than necessary in order to offset this.
More troubling or even dangerous complications include infection, pooling of blood under the surface of the skin, abscesses and nerve damage. There is also the possibility of an asymmetric result with bulges and bumps ending up where they weren't expected or in uneven distribution.
If you are interested in the fat harvesting and transferring technique, be sure you go to a reputable board certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist who specializes in this procedure. Seek referrals from your family physician or the medical licensing bureau in your area.
During your initial consultation, ask to see "before and after" photos of this physician's patients and to inquire about anesthetics, where the surgery will be performed and what results can be expected in your individual case.
by: Abigail Aaronson
welcome to Insurances.net (https://www.insurances.net)
