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Fat Transfer in San Diego

Have you ever looked at your body and wished your proportions were different? Does one part of your body have “too much” while another has “not enough?” Do you find yourself thinking, “If only I could take fat from here and move it there?”

Here’s the great news: You can—with fat grafting, or a fat transfer, here in San Diego. All you need to make your dream body real is a little help from the board-certified plastic surgeons at La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre. With this relatively innovative, advanced procedure, your own fat is removed from one area where you don’t want it, purified, and then replaced in another area where you want to add curves or fullness.

Considering Fat Transfer in San Diego? Here’s How It Works

Basically, a fat transfer is exactly what it sounds like: Your plastic surgeon transfers fat from one area of your body to another. However, the actual procedure is highly customizable and requires considerable skill and experience to achieve great results. Here’s how the process works:

  • Harvesting: First, your surgeon removes fat from your pre-determined areas using liposuction. In addition to taking away unwanted fat, your plastic surgeon sculpts a smoother, natural shape to the area.
  • Processing: Next, the fat is placed in a special machine that purifies it, so the cells are more likely to survive in their new home.
  • Injecting: In the final step, your surgeon injects the fat in the area (or areas) you want to enhance.

You’ll likely notice the difference right away. Your results will continue to improve as the injected fat adapts to its new location and post-procedure swelling subsides. Within several months, you’ll be enjoying your new, natural contours that will last for years to come.

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Dr Riedler is a gifted surgeon who sincerely cares about her patients. I’m so grateful I found her…*
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This is the second time Dr. Smoot performed a surgical procedure for me. I enjoy Dr. Smoot's demeano…*
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Kind, professional, attentive, reassuring *
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Better Results With a Better Technique

Older fat transfer techniques had a “take” rate (permanency of transferred fat) of only around 30%. Our board-certified plastic surgeons recognized this problem and took the time to train in newer, more reliable techniques that allow for less tissue trauma during fat removal and safer, more efficient fat purification. Most of our fat transfer patients now enjoy an increased take rate of 60 to 80%, meaning better results that last even longer.

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Where Can I Transfer Fat?

Can you imagine slimming your belly or thighs while also getting a little more shape to your derriere? Could you use a slight boost in breast size without implants? Or, perhaps your face and hands could use some youthful volume, while your stubborn belly has plenty to share? A fat transfer can achieve any of these goals and more.

A qualified, experienced plastic surgeon will customize a fat transfer to both reduce your problem areas and add/or restore volume to features that you’d like to boost. The result? A dramatic improvement in your proportions and appearance in just a single procedure.

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Your Fat Transfer Options

Popular focus points for fat transfer include:

  • Facial fat grafting: Dermal fillers are fab, but the effects are temporary and costs can add up over time. With facial fat grafting, you use your own fat as a filler to restore volume to aging cheeks, smooth sagging lower eyelids, reduce deep creases, or enhance the lips.
  • Hand rejuvenation: Other than your face, your hands are the most consistently visible part of your body—and the aging process takes its toll there, too. Hand rejuvenation injections rejuvenate thin, bony hands and minimize visible veins and tendons to restore a smooth, soft and elegant appearance you’ll be proud to show off.
  • Brazilian butt lift: Gone are the days when buttock augmentation meant less-than-natural-looking implants. With a Brazilian butt lift, our plastic surgeons remove fat from areas surrounding the buttocks (belly, hips, thighs and lower back) and inject fat into the buttocks to enhance size and shape.
  • Breast enhancement: Fat grafting is an excellent option for achieving a modest increase in breast size, improving breast shape and symmetry without implants, or enhancing the results of breast augmentation with implants.
  • Body contouring: If you’d like a more hourglass silhouette, or you feel your body is out of proportion in some respect, a fat transfer procedure can achieve your goals beautifully and naturally by redistributing your fat. It’s the ultimate result: Your body will be leaner with better contours, and you’ll have a natural cosmetic solution for multiple “problem” areas.
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Am I a Good Candidate for Fat Transfer?

A body fat transfer is an excellent, versatile procedure that can make dramatic improvements in multiple areas of your body without implants, artificial fillers, or large scars. But there’s one big consideration: You have to have enough fat to redistribute to achieve your goals.

How much fat is enough fat? This depends on your goals, the areas you’d like to volumize with fat, and how much fat is needed to achieve a natural, noticeable improvement.

In general, you’ll need more fat available for removal if you’re interested in the following:

  • Brazilian butt lift (buttock fat transfer)
  • Fat transfer breast augmentation
  • Body contouring with fat transfer

On the other hand, even most lean people have plenty of fat to get great results for facial fat grafting, hand rejuvenation, or small scar treatments.

Other factors that determine whether or not fat grafting is appropriate include:

  • The degree of enhancement you are hoping to achieve. Fat grafting is excellent for achieving modest enhancements, but if you’re hoping for dramatic size increases in certain areas, a fat transfer may not be the best option (For example, a breast augmentation of a cup size or more typically requires implants.)
  • Your medical history. Transferred fat needs a healthy blood supply to successfully take, so people­ with circulation problems or smokers are usually not good candidates.
  • Your desire for permanent results. Unlike fillers, which absorb over time, or implants, which can be removed or replaced, a fat transfer is considered permanent. Although fluctuations in weight and aging can affect your results over time, fat grafting is usually not reversible.
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What Are the Benefits of Fat Transfer?

Along with the obvious plus of keeping things natural, fat grafting offers several benefits over using implants or manufactured fillers to enhance features:

  • Results can last for many, many years without requiring a touch-up. Transferred fat is living tissue, and when it settles in its new location, it continues to function normally for its lifetime.
  • Fat transfer leaves minimal scars, with no visible scars at the site of injection. The only scars produced during most fat transfer procedures are those needed for liposuction, which are tiny and placed in inconspicuous locations, such as the natural folds of your body or where you’ll almost always wear clothing.
  • Results look, feel, and move naturally. Implants, and sometimes even fillers, can feel a little different than natural tissue under your skin. Using your own fat eliminates this potential issue.

How Much Does Fat Transfer Cost? 

Do you want to remove unwanted fat and improve your contours while keeping your budget in shape? We’re here to help! Get started by paying only $163 per month with our affordable payment plans. Just make a $1,200 down payment and qualify with average credit for 48 months. If you have a better credit rating or can pay more upfront, you’ll enjoy even more monthly savings. It’s that straightforward! 

Price can vary depending on specific factors, such as how much fat is being transferred. Visit our pricing page for an overview of costs, including fee ranges.  

Here’s more good news. Applying for financing is super easy and convenient online, or we’ll guide you through your options in person during your consultation. Ready for curves in all the right places? Let’s get started! 

Your Dream Starts Today

Dreaming of having all the right curves in all the right places? Let’s make your already gorgeous bod even better. To get started, request a consultation online or call (858) 452-1981.

Last reviewed by a La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre Editor on January 12th, 2024. Meet Our Medical Editors

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