Media Appearances

Fat transplantation

Source: "The Santa Clarita Magazine"
by D. David Saadat, M.D.

Fat transplantation goes back over 100 years. During fat transplantation, a person’s own fat is removed from one part of the body (the donor site) and placed somewhere else (the recipient site). This is done as an office procedure. Donor sites include anywhere excess or unwanted fat is present. Recipient sites include the cheekbones, jaw line, chin, lips, deep facial lines or filling in any areas that may need the fat. Unfortunately, fat injection is not useful for superficial lines and wrinkles. It is helpful but may not be permanent for areas of constant facial movements such as smile lines or frown lines.

Fat injection is most commonly done as an awake office visit. The donor area (such as the abdomen) is made numb and the fat is harvested with a small syringe and blunt cannula (hollow tube). The fat is then washed and injected into the numb recipient area (such as the cheekbones).

If the fat is carefully removed, washed and injected, 10% to 30% will remain. The remainder of the fat does not survive and is slowly metabolized by the body. Since only 10% to 30% of the fat injected is permanent, extra fat is injected during each procedure. Up to twice the actual correction is injected to help compensate for the gradual loss. An average of three injections is necessary for the final result. The second injection is generally three to six months after the first injection and any subsequent injections are at one-year intervals. With repeated injections, some permanent result is obtained.

For more information of Fat Transplantation, contact Dr. D. David Saadat at 310-247-9090 or visit Santa Clarita ENT Medical Associates at www.santaclaritaent.com.

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