Vancouver Fat Grafting Specialist
Dr. Adrian Lee
Dr. Adrian Lee, a Vancouver cosmetic surgeon, is one of the few fat grafting specialists in the area. To learn more about this procedure and about how it has helped Vancouver fat grafting patients, please read the information below.
What is Fat Grafting?
Wrinkles begin to appear as collagen and elastin fibers in the skin break down. This breakdown can also be attributed to excessive squinting and frowning.
While some injectable fillers, like Collagen, pose an allergic risk, fat transfer is widely used because it is tolerated well: the substance injected is taken from your own body.
Fat transfer (also called autologous fat transfer or micro-lipoinjection), fills facial features with a patient’s own fat. Because the fat comes from your own body, you cannot develop an allergic reaction. Fat transfer to the face is a safe procedure designed to recontour the face and provide definition to cheeks, face and lower eyes.
What is Involved?
The fat used for fat transfer is liposuctioned from another part of your body like the abdomen or thighs and injected into another area that requires plumping.
Fat grafting is performed at Valley Surgery Centre using a general anesthetic. Using a small canula attached to a syringe, fat is removed from a donor site where your fat is most tightly packed, such as your abdomen.
Once removed, your fat is processed to remove excess fluids and then reinjected using a needle, which is placed just under your skin beneath the wrinkle. This process may be repeated until the desired correction has been achieved.
Not every area of the body responds well to fat transfer. Fat cannot be injected into the breasts as the large volume required leads to a higher risk of infection plus it may make it more difficult to detect cancer with mammograms. The lips are another area where fat transfer is avoided. Positive results are more difficult as fat cells from another area of the body react differently ie. to changes in the person’s weight.
Over the first few months your body will absorb the fat that was not able to obtain an adequate blood supply. Fat transfer may have to be repeated to receive the desired result.
What is the Healing Time?
Discomfort is easily handled with oral medication
Swelling is expected, bruising is possible. These gradually resolve over the first 10-14 days.
Most patients take about a week off work.
Contact us today at (604) 582-2762 to schedule your cosmetic enhancement consultation with Dr. Adrian Lee.
Visit our plastic/cosmetic surgery office in Surrey, British Columbia (BC) near the Vancouver (Canada) area.
