Expert Contribution

Fat Transfer

Don’t Get Rid of it, Put it Somewhere Else

Fat transfer, also known as “fat grafting”, is the surgical process when fat is taken from one area of the body and transplanted into another area, usually one where volume is lacking or the patient desires more volume. This safe, long-lasting, well-tolerated procedure produces very natural-looking results. Every year, thousands of people undergo successful fat grafting and are pleased with the outcome. 

Some of the more common areas that women have fat transferred to include their face, breasts, buttocks, and hands. Fat can be added to most soft tissue defects, even after trauma. Men typically have the procedure done to their face or hands, but sometimes we have patients who want to address other areas of their body. There are two primary reasons why people come to us for a fat transfer consultation. The first is to enlarge and add volume to an area, most often buttocks or breasts. The second is to improve the appearance of the face, either with other facial surgery or by itself. Loss of fat is the primary cause of facial aging so you can imagine the popularity of the procedure. 

A fat transfer procedure is a very straightforward outpatient experience, but it is a surgical procedure so I encourage anyone considering it to consult with an experienced, Board-certified Plastic Surgeon with access to an accredited surgery center. Here at Blackhawk Plastic Surgery our medical team has performed thousands of fat grafting procedures here in our own fully accredited, private surgery center. If you haven’t visited our practice, I invite you to do so. Thanks to our amazing patients our practice has grown over the years to be the largest and most technologically advanced plastic surgery center and medspa in the entire Bay Area. 

And if you do decide to move forward with the procedure, the fat transfer process can be easily summarized into these three, easy steps: 1. Using a special type of liposuction, fat is taken from the area of the body that was chosen as the donor site. 2. The removed fat is prepared. 3. In this final step, the purified fat is surgically transferred to the desired area of the body (needle stick only). The entire procedure takes about an hour and the recovery time is typically a few weeks. 

If you are interested in learning more about our fat transfer procedure or any of our many surgical and non-surgical procedures, please contact our office at 925-736-5757 or visit our website at www.blackhawkplasticsurgery.com to schedule a free consultation. We look forward to hearing from you!


By Dr. Stephen J Ronan, MD FACS 


About The Author

Cosmetic Surgery
Blackhawk Plastic Surgery and MedSpa
Blackhawk Plastic Surgery and MedSpa
925-736-5757

Blackhawk Plastic Surgery has been offering their patients the highest quality cosmetic treatments in the Blackhawk area for more than 15 years. Now they are thrilled to introduce the Blackhawk Migraine Clinic led by migraine specialist, Alicia Choquette. Alicia brings over 5 years of migraine expertise to the Blackhawk Migraine Clinic and looks forward to helping patients live a better quality of life migraine free.

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