One word. FAT.
What was once the hopes and dreams of many has become a commonplace reality in the world of cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. While we can’t “borrow” the fat from your heavy sister or husband’s love handles we can move it around your body to more useful areas. This fat “recycling” allows for many useful enhancements from hands to breasts. The fat is harvested with techniques similar to liposuction and the “donor” areas see a cosmetic improvement as well.
Here are a few of the more popular places to recycle fat from head to toe:
Face: Ever try juvederm or other facial injections to restore lost volume? Wish they lasted longer? Then try fat transfer to the face. Fat can be added to the cheeks, lips, Nasolabial fold, jowls, and marionette lines. Restoring volume lost to aging has become a common adjunct to my facelifts and other facial rejuvenation procedures.
Breast: Long thought of as the Holy Grail for many women, moving extra fat from hips or thighs and using it for breast augmentation is now possible. We also use fat for enhancing the outcome in breast cancer reconstruction and sometimes use it as the sole basis for the entire breast reconstruction process.
Hands: One of the earliest areas that show our age is actually the hands. As we get older the veins and tendons become more visible as volume is lost in the surrounding tissues. Adding fat can help mask this problem and turn back the hands of time.
Butt: The popular Brazilian Butt Lift is a great way to recycle fat. Having a little extra buttock volume is quite popular, and this method allows moving large amounts of fat to add volume to the backside. While sitting can be difficult in the first few days, the fat is mostly lasting and long term results look amazing.
If you would like to learn more about fat transfer and how we can recycle your fat give us a call at 512.244.1444
-Mahlon A. Kerr, MD, FACS
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