I see this question all over the Internet: Are fat grafts permanent? The answer is:
When done correctly, fat grafts are permanent. When done incorrectly, they don’t last and you will need a redo.
But how does a plastic surgeon achieve this?
Steps for long lasting fat injections
First, the physician must employ correct techniques; and second, the patient must follow the post op recovery restrictions.
For the surgeon, the following techniques should be performed with fat injections:
- Right extraction pressure with low suction
- Various types of laser lipo will kill the fat cells –these techniques should not be used for extraction
- Fat cells should not be washed
- Proper centrifugation techniques
- Proper isolation and injection techniques to ensure that the good fat is enriched with some of your own stem cells. Fat must be reinjected in small quantities to allow blood supply to grow into the new fat grafts.
After the surgery, the patient must not put pressure on the grafts for a period of 2-3 weeks. In the example of the Brazilian butt lift, patients should ideally not sit on the new fat grafts for 3 weeks to allow a full ‘take’.
When the above techniques and protocols are used, my fat grafts have been permanent.
