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Will Transferred Fat Survive?
Often patients have questions or concerns about whether transferred fat
will “take” or live. Fat is made up of millions of cells. These cells
can be transplanted, much like plants, into another area of the body
where, under the right conditions, they will thrive. Therefore, a
surgeon is similar in many ways to a gardener and the cells that make up
transferred fat can be thought of as millions of tiny plants.
To illustrate, let’s call the cells rose bushes and say that a gardener
plants millions of rose bushes in columns and rows. Some may die, some
may struggle for a while and then turn brown, some may hang in there and
have a few leaves, some will do well and produce a few flowers, and some
may flourish and be lush and vibrant. Why does this happen? Why don’t
they all flourish and remain lush and vibrant? The answer is that the
gardener either did not prepare the bed properly into which they would
be transplanted, he crowded the plants into too tight of an area, he did
not make sure the plants would have the nutrients they would need to
survive after transplantation - or a combination thereof.
Living things want to thrive, that is their nature, but they won’t
thrive if they are not handled properly or don’t get what they require.
The more knowledgeable, skilled, experienced and passionate the gardener
about transplanting rose bushes and providing them the optimal
conditions for survival, the better his rose bushes will not only “take”
but thrive.
What about Lumpiness and Deflation?
If healthy harvested fat is placed into spaces that are too tight, such
as in groups or “wads,” the cells at the center of the bulges will not
be adjacent to what they need to live – oxygen and nutrients provided by
the blood. The bulges may also be seen through the skin as lumps. Over
time, the fat at the center of the bulges will die and the areas that
were filled in by the fat will deflate and could appear even more lumpy
and uneven. These dead cells are recognized by the body as “waste” and
are eventually carried away and out of the body. This is a common
problem with fat transfer that is done improperly and too quickly.
Whether fat is placed in tiny pearls (healthy spheres of fat harvested
from the abdomen), or injected in very fine, thread-like passes which
builds a matrix of “fat threads,” it is placed so that it has the
optimal conditions for survival. Fat will survive if provided the oxygen
and nutrients it needs by the surrounding healthy native tissue. This
technique allows for as much transplanted fat to survive as possible and
the previously depressed areas to remain full and smooth. This technique
is also very delicate and time consuming and takes experience, skill and
patience in addition to attention to aesthetic detail.
A passionate gardener, like a passionate surgeon, will be successful
at what he does because he carefully plans and executes the
transplantation of living things. Gardeners - or surgeons - who
repeatedly have trouble transplanting “rose bushes” may conclude that
transplanting them and getting them to thrive is just too difficult. As
a result they may not wish to do the procedure to avoid having unhappy
patients or they may recommend that the patient not have it done at all.
Patients often report they’ve been told that there are too many problems
associated with fat transfers. Dr. Shorr and our surgeons, however,
perform fat transfer surgery and other graft transfer surgeries to the
eyelids and face routinely. We continue to achieve beautiful results and
happy patients.
Who Should Perform Fat Transfer?
When choosing a surgeon to perform fat transfer to the face, and
especially to the eyelids, look for a cosmetic and reconstructive facial
surgeon who specializes in the eyelids, orbit, and tear drain system.
It’s also important that he or she has completed an American Society of
Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS) fellowship. This
indicates your surgeon is not only a board certified ophthalmologist who
knows the anatomy and structure of the eyelids and orbit and all
surrounding areas, but also has had extensive training in ophthalmic
plastic reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. Dr. Shorr is Director of
the Fellowship in Ophthalmic Plastic Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery
at the Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA School of Medicine. He and his
associates are board certified ophthalmologists as well as ophthalmic
plastic reconstructive and cosmetic surgeons who have completed an
ASOPRS fellowship.
We specialize in
cosmetic and
reconstructive surgery of the
eyelids and
face,
as well as non-surgical treatments and services. Our office is
conveniently located in
Beverly Hills,
California, near
Los Angeles and bordered by Orange and Ventura Counties.
Call us
today for an appointment or for more information!
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