Micro Fat Transfer

Who it is for

• Your forehead is hollow or uneven from side to side
• Your eyelids are sunken
• You want to raise a low nose
• You want to add volume to thin cheeks
• You want your nasolabial folds to be less visible
• You want to soften an angular face line
• You would like a fuller, youthful face
• You would rather not have implants or other foreign materials placed

What is micro fat transfer?

Your own fat is grafted into the face to smooth hollows and unevenness and add volume. The fat is taken from the abdomen, thighs or buttocks.

The harvested fat is spun in a centrifuge to keep only fat suited to grafting. It is grafted in small amounts, layered evenly through each skin layer, aiming for a smooth result.

Surgery takes about 40 minutes. We work carefully to limit swelling and bruising and to shorten downtime. The donor area can also look slimmer, as if you had mini liposuction.

How well the grafted fat takes, and the final result, vary from person to person.

PRP micro fat transfer

Fat transfer has long been used to add volume. Its drawback has been that the share of fat reabsorbed is not consistent.

PRP micro fat transfer at KOKO Plastic Surgery adds PRP (platelet-rich plasma) to the fat. PRP is said to help tissue repair, and it aims to improve fat survival and shorten downtime.

Surgery follows these steps.

• Local anesthesia is given, and fat is harvested.
• The fat is purified in a dedicated centrifuge.
• PRP is added to the fat.
• The fat is grafted into the areas of the face that need it.

Stem cell fat transfer

Growth factors taken from fat tissue are purified, concentrated and grafted together with fat. The aim is to improve fat cell survival.

It aims for better survival than conventional fat transfer. Volume that lasts longer and a more even skin tone are also expected. It is grafted into hollow areas, aiming for a fuller, more three-dimensional face.

From the abdomen or thighs, we take fat for grafting and fat tissue for extracting stem cells. A dedicated device takes out the fat with very little exposure to air. After the stem cells are extracted, the two are mixed and grafted into the planned areas.

A key feature is that many cells can be obtained without culturing or altering them. The harvesting process is also simple, so the impact on daily life is relatively small.

Stem cell fat transfer suits people who:

• Want more volume in the face
• Look older because of facial hollows or sagging
• Want more volume in the breasts or buttocks without implants
• Want to soften an angular face line
• Would like a fuller, youthful face
• Would rather not have implants or other foreign materials placed

Stem cells from your own fat

Stem cell fat transfer uses fat-derived stem cells, one type of adult stem cell. They are taken from fat at a high concentration and used without culturing.

Growth factors are thought to nourish the grafted fat and support the surrounding tissue. The method is also used for concerns about skin firmness and wrinkles.

Unlike embryonic stem cells taken from fertilized eggs, adult stem cells from fat, bone marrow or blood are relatively easy to obtain. They are said to carry almost no ethical issues and almost no chance of a teratoma forming.

A smooth donor area too

Heat can alter the cells in fat taken for stem cells. So we harvest healthy fat using tumescent fluid. This fluid loosens the fat for easier suction and makes blood vessels and lymph nodes less likely to be damaged.

Depending on how it is done, liposuction can leave the skin surface uneven. At KOKO Plastic Surgery, we suction without a laser and smooth the donor area so unevenness is less likely to remain.

Aftercare

To help the grafted fat take well, please follow these points.

• Start using cold packs right after surgery and continue until the puffiness goes down.
• Swelling and bruising may appear (this varies by person). Avoid sleeping face down. Stacking 2–3 soft pillows eases puffiness and pain.
• Until blood vessels connect to the grafted tissue and it takes, do not rub or put stress on the treated area.
• After about 3 weeks, the grafted tissue becomes fairly stable, and you can go about daily life as before surgery.