What Happens to Cells Used for Fat Injection? | Dr. Wayne Carman

What Happens to Cells Used for Fat Injection?

Dr. Wayne Carman considers a person’s own fat to be the ideal filler for treatments to add volume where it is needed and wanted. The result is a long-lasting full and natural look. Also consider that since no foreign body is being introduced, there is no risk of the patient having an allergic reaction to a fat injection. Toronto women and men should get used to seeing the results of this treatment on the street, as the sophisticated technique is increasing in popularity: Studies have shown that the use of fat as a soft tissue filler is rising in general. In particular, breast augmentation with fat injection is growing in prominence.

While fat may seem like an easily moveable resource—at least for a cosmetic surgeon—the reality is that the procedure requires a great amount of skill and care. Fat cells are fixed in place (not floating freely like balloons in certain areas of the body), so they must be loosened prior to removal. Fat cells being harvested for transfer must remain intact and viable throughout their entire journey. This means the techniques used for this procedure must be forceful enough to free the fat cells, but not so forceful that they rupture.

Typical donor areas are the abdomen and thighs. Dr. Carman will make small incisions for the insertion of a cannula, which serves as a wand that loosens the fat cells when moved back and forth, then as a vacuum tube when the cells are ready to be suctioned out.

Once free from the body, the cells must be purified. A centrifuge separates the desired cells from other material collected during the liposuction process, including blood and the tumescent solution used to make the tissue firm for the liposuction procedure. Again, this process must be handled by an experienced plastic surgeon who can ensure the cells’ continued integrity.

Now armed with a collection of living fat cells, Dr. Carman can begin the process of injection. Popular areas for added volume are the lips, cheeks, and chin, as well as the breasts. Fat injection is not a procedure for “bulking up,” but rather for adding definition, filling out depressions and scars, and evening out irregular contours. The healthy cells stabilize within months, continuing their lives as cells in a new location in the body.

Discover more about fat injections in Toronto at the Cosmetic Surgery Institute. Call Cosmetic Surgeon Dr. Wayne Carman to schedule a consultation at (416) 322-7108 or 1-888-451-1140. You can also fill out an online contact form.