Posted on: October 4, 2022
Various terms have been used for this specific procedure, such as fat implantation, fat injection, lipo-injections, etc. but the more correct term is autologous fat transplantation. This procedure is used to “fill” indentations on the face, wrinkles, i.e. deficits in general, as well as filling in areas such as cheekbones, beard, etc. Autologous fat, i.e. the body’s fat, in which it will be implanted, has been used for several years as a filling method, similar to those of other filling materials, such as collagen or hyaluronic acid.
Compared to other filling materials, fat has the main advantage of being material from the body itself. Therefore there is no chance of a rejection reaction from the body. It also has zero material costs. Another advantage of fat is that one can have large amounts of material available.
The disadvantages of fat are that it is a longer procedure than other injectable fillers, that it may have a longer recovery time, and that it is not suitable for very fine wrinkles, but only for coarse fillers.
Also among the disadvantages should be included absorbency of fat. A percentage of the fat is absorbed and some remains. This percentage depends on several factors. One factor is how traumatic to the fat cells it is to take the fat. The more non-traumatic the cannulas and the method of administration, the greater the percentage of fat that will remain.
Also, another factor that plays a role is the blood supply of the tissues where the implantation will take place. It has been observed that tissues with greater perfusion retain more of the transplanted fat. For placing this fat inside the muscles, for example, there is an opinion that the “survival” rate is higher. This is because, as is known, muscles have a much better blood supply than fat tissue. Also, the smaller the amount of fat, the greater percentage of it will remain. Large amounts of fat have a lower “survival” rate because the body does not have time to integrate them.
When fat is placed in some tissues of the same person, the body starts a race to create new blood vessels as soon as possible, which will be able to nourish the new fat in the area. At the same time, however, the fat that has been placed, because it does not have blood vessels, tends to be absorbed.
The faster vessels are created and the slower the fat placed is absorbed, the greater percentage of fat will remain. Large amounts of fat do not manage to be integrated into the body quickly enough, and for this reason, most of them are absorbed.
Since all of the aforementioned factors are not constant, it stands to reason that the amount of fat that will remain is also not constant. Residual fat can vary from person to person and even within the person from the area to the area of the body. Therefore, the person who will accept this procedure must understand that there may be a slight deviation from the expected result. But this deviation is not so important as to prejudge it.
