Fat transfer is a natural, effective, and flexible treatment that can help resculpt your contours, restore youthful volume, and even improve the appearance of scars. At The Aesthetic Surgery Center on the Upper East Side in New York City, our renowned plastic surgeon, Dr. Elliott H. Rose, specializes in using this innovative technique to enhance your body’s beauty without using synthetic materials or implants.
Fat transfer does as the name suggests: it uses your own fat to restore areas that have lost volume due to aging, weight loss, or injury. Whether you’re seeking subtle facial rejuvenation, a more sculpted figure, or a smoother appearance in scarred areas, fat transfer delivers beautiful, long-lasting results.
Read on to learn more about how the fat transfer procedure works and why it may be the right choice for you.
Fat transfer involves removing fat from one area of your body, purifying it, and then injecting it into another area where you desire more volume, contour, or rejuvenation. Common areas from which Dr. Rose harvests fat include the lower abdomen, flanks, or inner thighs. Popular areas to receive the transfer include the face, breasts, buttocks, hands, and even areas affected by scarring or trauma.
One of the unique advantages of fat transfer is that it uses your own fat cells, known as autologous fat. Unlike fillers that introduce foreign materials into the body, fat transfer is natural. It reduces the risk of allergic reactions and usually delivers more permanent results compared to synthetic fillers.
You might seek out fat transfer to restore volume to your cheeks, temples, lips, and under-eye hollows. Fat transfer offers breasts subtle enhancement or post-surgical correction.
Fat transfer can improve shape and volume in your buttocks and rejuvenate youthful fullness in the hands. Dr. Rose also uses fat transfer to improve contour and skin texture over disfiguring or depressed scars
Fat contains regenerative stem cells, which can help repair tissue and promote healing from within. When Dr. Rose injects the fat into areas with scarring, the transfer can break up deep adhesions and restore smoother, more natural-looking skin. He recommends it to improve the appearance of facial or body scars, especially those that are sunken or disfiguring.
The added regenerative benefits go beyond just volume; fat transfer actually encourages new tissue growth, which helps maintain the result over time.
Your fat transfer procedure begins with a personalized consultation to assess your goals, health history, and ideal donor and recipient sites.
You then come in for the fat harvesting. Usually, we get the fat from areas like the lower tummy or inner thighs through a small liposuction procedure. This is done using a fine cannula (tube) to minimize trauma and preserve cell integrity.
We then filter the harvested fat to isolate pure, viable fat cells. This step ensures that we reintroduce only the healthiest fat to your body, which improves long-term survival and smooth, natural-looking results.
Before reinjecting the fat to the recipient sites, we carefully prepare the area (s). If the target area includes scar tissue, we use microneedling with a sharp-tip needle to create micro-pockets and break up deep scar adhesions. The fat is then strategically injected into these pockets, often with a bit of overfilling to account for natural reabsorption by your body.
Recovery from a fat transfer procedure is typically quick and straightforward. Most patients experience mild swelling in the recipient area for three to five days, and minimal discomfort in the donor site. Usually, our patients resume normal activities within a few days.
You may see some immediate effects, but optimal results fully develop over two to three months as the transferred fat integrates, vascularizes, and settles.
One of the biggest advantages of fat transfer is its longevity. While a portion of the transferred fat may be naturally reabsorbed by your body, the surviving fat cells can remain permanently, especially when cared for with a healthy lifestyle.
The stem cell-rich nature of the fat enhances long-term results by supporting new tissue formation and ongoing skin improvement.
If you're looking for a natural, regenerative, and lasting solution for volume loss, contour enhancement, or scar revision, fat transfer may be an ideal option. It’s safe, versatile, and slims one area while boosting another.
Schedule your consultation today and explore how your own body holds the key to transformation. Call The Aesthetic Surgery Center, Dr. Rose and his team are here to support your healing and aesthetic goals. Call or click here to schedule an appointment and learn more about fat transfer and how it can help you.
