Fat transplantation
Many people
have wished at one time or another that they could move a bit of fat
from one place on their body to another place where it would look better,
and it can be done, but there are some problems. If fat is simply drawn
out and cleaned, and then injected again in a new location, we know
from scientific studies that much of it will simply disappear.
How much varies from one patient to another but is also highly dependent
on where in the body the fat was injected. Normally the fat poorly withstands
injection in the nasolabial crease, whereas much more survives in the
eye region. Yet some of the fat cells do always survive, so there will
be some permanent effect. It is necessary to over-correct, and inject
extra fat, but if too much fat is transplanted more dissolves.
Thus if a large amount is needed the transplantation has to be repeated
several times. Normally a couple of months should pass between the procedures.
Instead of suctioning
out fat, a bit of fat tissue can be cut loose and transplanted. A larger
proportion of the fat cells will then survive.
But these are also absorbed to some extent, since this bit of transplanted
tissue has no blood supply of its own. New blood vessels must grow in
among the fat cells so that they can become established, and during this
time some of the fat dissolves. The only way to guarantee that all the
fat cells survive is to ensure that they are supplied with blood in their
new location. This can be done with microsurgery. It is a complicated
operation and is described in the section on reconstructive surgery.
In recent years the liposuction technique for fat transplantation has
been refined. More reliable results have been obtained by using thinner
needles and by cleaning or centrifuging the fat to separate the fat and
the fatty oils. Today it’s common to use fat to augment lips and to fill
out depressions in the face and body. Many women had hopes that this technique
could be used to move some fat from their thighs to build up their breasts.
Such operations have been performed, but are not safe. Moreover,
injecting fat into the breasts can result
in small calcifications that look like cancer on a mammogram.
