Lipotransfer involves transferring fat from a donor area of the body to a recipient area. This fat is obtained by liposuction at low pressure to preserve the viability of the adipose cells and is purified by different techniques, such as centrifugation. Once purified, it is transplanted to another area of the body or face.
Liposuction consists of obtaining fat through the use of millimeter-caliber cannulas connected to a vacuum and aspiration system. Both the liposuction necessary to obtain the fat and the lipoinjection or injection of the fat in the recipient area are techniques that do not leave visible scars.
Double aesthetic benefit of lipoblastoplasty
Fat can be used at the facial level to improve contours, volumes, treat wrinkles and improve skin quality. It can be used in breast augmentation, buttock augmentation, scar treatment, or restoration of volume where necessary.
Lipotransfer can be performed as long as the patient has a donor area with enough fat for the intended purpose. Generally, fat is obtained from the abdomen, thighs, inner knees and flanks of the waist, because these are the locations where it tends to accumulate. Depending on the objective, a greater or lesser amount of fat will be needed. For example, small volumes are usually necessary for facial fat, but large volumes are required for a buttock augmentation.
This fat obtained by liposuction can also improve the aesthetics of the donor areas and sculpt the figure, which is an added benefit to the technique beyond the desired objective in the recipient area.
Recovery after lipotransfer
This is a technique that allows a relatively quick recovery, especially if the treatment is at facial level, where the only thing that usually appears is a small facial swelling of about 48-72h. At body level, the recipient areas and the donor area of liposuction recover in about 15 days approximately. It is advisable to wear a girdle in the donor area for a month and avoid intense physical exertion for 15 days.
During the postoperative period, lymphatic drainage massages and phototherapy sessions are performed to favor the disappearance of inflammation and accelerate recovery. The type of anesthesia used can range from local anesthesia to general anesthesia, depending on the area to be treated and the volume of fat required. In any case, the recovery of a breast or buttock augmentation with fat is faster and less painful than that of an augmentation with prostheses.
Lipotransfer for a more natural result
One of the main advantages of fat is that fat is the patient’s own tissue, which cannot be rejected. The result obtained is absolutely natural if the procedure is performed in expert hands, and the results are long lasting. During the first 2 months there is a part of the injected fat volume that will be reabsorbed, but after the first 2 months the results are definitive.
It is a laborious technique that requires experienced equipment and specific material, so whenever the patient is going to undergo this procedure it is especially important that you put yourself in the trained hands of a plastic surgeon with experience, and crucial in the case of breast lipotransfer.