The Procedure What to Expect
The fat transfer is a combination of liposuction and fat injections. The liposuction is performed on features that can benefit from a fat reduction, while the injections are performed on areas that are lacking volume. Dr. Shapiro often performs facial fat transfer in conjunction with a traditional facelift to refine the results and ensure a comprehensive transformation. However, the procedure can also be performed on its own to enhance the face, buttocks, breasts, hands, and more. Here’s a look at what to expect during your fat transfer procedure:
Step 1: Anesthesia
If your fat transfer is being done on its own, it can often be performed with local anesthesia. If you’re combining your fat transfer with a facelift, it will be done under general anesthesia, which means you will be completely asleep and unable to feel any pain or discomfort.
Step 2: Fat Removal and Processing
Once the anesthesia has been administered, Dr. Shapiro will perform liposuction to remove unwanted fat from a donor site. This fat can be taken from anywhere – including the abdomen, buttocks, hips, and jowls. Dr. Shapiro uses extremely gentle, low-suction liposuction for this procedure to protect the fat cells from damage. From there, the collected volume will be placed in a centrifuge and spun at high speeds to isolate the cells for the procedure. We will then select only the undamaged fat cells to use during the transfer.
Step 3: Fat Injections
The final step of your fat transfer will involve injecting the cleansed and processed fat cells into the target areas on your face and body. Dr. Shapiro will artfully place these injections to correct facial lines and wrinkles, enhance your facial or body contour, fill in hollow areas, and restore youthful volume.
