Fat grafting is a natural way to restore volume and enhance contour using your body’s own fat. At LUXURGERY©, located on Fifth Avenue across from Central Park in Manhattan, this procedure allows you to add fullness to areas of your body, such as your breasts, buttocks, or face, while refining another area through liposuction.
Dr. Sachin M. Shridharani, MD, FACS, is a board-certified plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and founder of LUXURGERY©. Fellowship trained in aesthetic surgery and widely published in leading medical journals, he brings advanced training and a thoughtful approach to every procedure. Fat grafting treatments are performed in our AAAASF-accredited facility or at select New York City hospitals and surgicenters, offering safety, privacy, and convenience.
What Is a Fat Transfer?
Instead of implants or synthetic fillers to enhance your shape, fat transfer relies on autologous fat—meaning fat taken from your own body—to add fullness where it is desired. Common treatment areas include the buttocks, breasts, and face.
In addition to adding volume, fat transfer can improve overall body balance by slimming one area while enhancing another.
How Does the Fat Transfer Process Work?
Fat transfer is performed in carefully planned stages. First, liposuction is used to remove fat from a selected donor area such as the abdomen, flanks, thighs, or back. The harvested fat is then purified to separate healthy fat cells from excess fluid and impurities.
Once prepared, the fat is strategically injected into the treatment area in small amounts and multiple layers. This technique helps support blood supply to the transferred cells and encourages longer-lasting results. Proper placement and technique play an important role in achieving even contour and optimizing fat survival.
Where Can the Fat Be Taken From?
The fat is liposuctioned from many different areas. During your consultation with Dr. Shridharani, he will review the areas you would like contoured and examine them to determine whether this is a good option for you. Common areas to undergo liposuction include:
- Abdomen (tummy)
- Waist (love handles)
- Pubis (lower abdomen)
- Upper back (back bra roll)
- Hips
- Thighs
- Arms
- Knees
- Calves
- Ankles
Where Will My Fat Transfer Be Performed?
My patients have the ability to have their procedures performed at my office or at area hospitals and “surgicenters” in New York City. My operating room and facility have certification and accreditation by the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF). Our team provides patients with the option of having their procedure performed in the safety, convenience, and comfort of our office/facility.
What Is Recovery Like After Fat Transfer?
Recovery focuses on healing in both the donor and treatment areas. After surgery, it is normal to experience swelling, bruising, tightness, and mild soreness. These symptoms are usually most noticeable in the first one to two weeks and gradually improve. If liposuction was performed, compression garments are often recommended to help control swelling and support the tissues as they heal.
Most patients return to light daily activities within several days, depending on the extent of treatment. Strenuous workouts and heavy lifting should be avoided for a few weeks to allow the transferred fat to settle properly.
What Results Can I Expect From a Fat Transfer Procedure?
Results develop in stages. You will notice an immediate improvement in volume and contour, but early fullness is partially due to swelling. As swelling decreases over the first several weeks, the shape becomes more defined.
Not all transferred fat cells will survive, so some reduction in volume is expected during the first few months. By six months, the remaining fat cells have established a blood supply and stabilized. At that point, results are considered long-lasting, with changes over time primarily related to normal aging or weight fluctuations.
Who Is a Candidate for a Fat Transfer?
Ideal candidates for a fat transfer are those who are at a healthy weight with a reasonable amount of body fat that can be used as the donor site in the procedure. Candidates should be in overall good health and have realistic expectations about their results. Patients who undergo the fat transfer procedure can range in age anywhere from 18 to 70 years old.
All candidates should be non-smokers and not suffer from any underlying health conditions that may affect recovery after the procedure. If you are someone who has too little body fat, this procedure may not be possible for you.
What Are the Benefits of a Fat Transfer?
Because fat can be transferred to almost any other part of the body, such as the lips, breasts, and buttocks, this procedure is versatile and customizable to any patient. Not only do fat transfers allow patients to appear more youthful, but the procedure itself is minimally invasive compared to other surgeries, such as liposuction. With a reasonable recovery time, patients will be able to enjoy their results permanently.
How Long Do the Results of a Fat Transfer Last?
Because the transfer of fat involves the fat cells settling into the skin, these results will remain permanent. Although it may take up to six months for the fat cells to fully establish themselves in the skin, these cells will stay in place, allowing patients to enjoy their results for a lifetime.
Over time, however, the body will adjust as a patient ages, and the appearance of their results may change. In order to maintain their desired look, some patients schedule follow-up treatments.
Why Choose Luxurgery?
At Luxurgery, Dr. Sachin Shridharani and his dedicated team know the importance of providing high-quality treatment and achieving patient satisfaction in all aspects of plastic surgery. Board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Dr. Shridharani has been proudly serving Manhattan for years, improving the looks and restoring the confidence of patients all across New York City. He is recognized internationally for his contributions to aesthetic plastic surgery and serves as a global educator and lecturer on advanced surgical and non-surgical techniques.
Choosing Luxurgery for your fat transfer procedure will ensure a personalized treatment plan that fits your body’s needs and your aesthetic goals.
Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation Before & After Photos
Watch Dr. Shridharani Perform A Fat Transfer to Breasts
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Can the Fat Be Placed?
Fat can be placed in just about any location where the patient desires more volume. Certain areas are more popular than others, and certain areas are dangerous to have fat injected. Popular injection sites include, but are not limited to: buttocks, breasts, lips, cheekbones, and around the mouth.
Is Fat Grafting Safe?
Yes! When a procedure is performed with appropriate precautions taken, you can have a streamlined overall experience. Even in the best circumstances, some complications can occur. Working with a surgeon you trust and feel comfortable with is paramount.
Can I Get Another Fat Transfer in the Same Area in the Future?
Absolutely! Since we anticipate not all of the fat surviving during transfers, patients seeking further natural enhancement of certain areas may opt for another procedure spaced months after the first procedure. Giving adequate healing time to see how much total fat survived and the current contour is important.
Will I Have Tubes/Drains Sticking Out of Me?
Dr. Shridharani rarely uses drains/tubes during fat transfer surgery. There is little need to use drains for this specific procedure.
Will I Have to Spend the Night After My Fat Transfer Procedure?
Patients are not required to stay overnight and generally go home the same day. Some of our patients choose to stay in a nearby luxury hotel with private nurses who monitor them overnight while they rest and recover.
Are There Things That I Can Do Before Surgery to Help Maximize My Chances of My Fat Surviving?
Absolutely. Dr. Shridharani will go through several tips with you prior to your procedure and during the planning phase. You should try to be overall healthy and not have any tobacco/nicotine in your system for several months to help speed up the recovery process.
What Can I Do After My Surgery to Help Maximize the Chances of Fat Surviving?
It takes the body six months to one year to see the final results of most surgeries. However, you will see the overall change in contour and fullness within days after the procedures. It is common to have swelling and bruising during this time, so the shape will change and improve in the ensuing weeks to months.
Does Fat Transfer Cause Scarring?
Anytime an incision is made on the face/body, a scar will result. The goal of a good aesthetic surgeon is to place as few incisions as possible in areas that conceal well. During your consultation, Dr. S will thoroughly review with you the location of your anticipated incisions.
Can Fat Transfer Correct Asymmetry?
Yes, fat transfer can help improve asymmetry in areas such as the breasts, buttocks, or face. Because fat is placed in small, controlled amounts, it allows for detailed contour adjustments. This makes it especially useful for correcting mild to moderate volume differences.
While fat grafting can significantly improve symmetry, perfect symmetry is not always possible, as natural differences exist in every body.
What Happens to the Fat That Does Not Survive the Transfer?
Not all transferred fat cells will establish a permanent blood supply. The fat that does not survive is gradually broken down and naturally absorbed by the body over the first few months after surgery.
This is a normal part of the healing process. Surgeons account for this expected absorption when planning the procedure, and in some cases, patients may choose a second session if they want more volume.
Will I Lose Volume If I Lose Weight After Fat Transfer?
Yes, significant weight loss after fat transfer can reduce volume in the treated area. The transferred fat cells behave like other fat cells in your body, meaning they can shrink if you lose weight and enlarge if you gain weight.
For this reason, it is ideal to undergo fat grafting when you are at or near a stable, healthy weight.
Schedule A Consultation
Ready to learn more about fat transfer surgery and find out if you are a good candidate? Call 212.508.0000 to schedule a consultation with board certified NYC Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Shridharani.
