Who Is a Good Candidate for Fat Transfer?

If you have stubborn pockets of fat in one area and would like more fullness or definition somewhere else, fat transfer can provide a way to address both concerns using your own tissue. The procedure removes unwanted fat from a donor area and carefully transfers it to another part of the body to restore volume or enhance natural contours. At Wellness Diagnostics and Medispa in Temecula, CA, medical aesthetics specialist Dr. Gloria Tumbaga combines minimally invasive laser liposuction with fat transfer for patients near Menifee, Murrieta, San Diego, and surrounding areas. 

Good candidates for laser lipo plus fat transfer generally have enough excess fat available for harvesting, are in good overall health, and have realistic expectations about how much volume and contouring can be achieved. If you're considering laser lipo with fat transfer, keep reading to learn what else can affect your candidacy, where fat can be removed and transferred, and what to expect from your results. 

How much fat do you need for a fat transfer? 

You need enough excess fat to safely harvest the amount required for your desired enhancement, but there isn't a specific weight or body fat percentage that automatically qualifies you for laser lipo and fat transfer. The amount needed depends in part on where you want the fat transferred and how much additional volume you're hoping to achieve. Patients with a relatively lean build may still be candidates if they have suitable donor areas, while those seeking a more significant increase in volume may need more fat available for harvesting. Dr. Tumbaga can assess your existing contours to determine whether your body can provide enough usable fat to accomplish your goals. 

Where can fat be removed and transferred? 

One benefit of fat transfer is the ability to reshape two areas within the same treatment plan. Fat can be harvested from areas where you have localized fullness that has been resistant to diet and exercise, then prepared and strategically placed where greater volume or definition is desired. Depending on your anatomy and goals, potential donor and treatment areas for laser liposuction and fat transfer may include:  

• Abdomen 
• Waist or flanks 
• Hips 
• Thighs 
• Buttocks (with a Brazilian butt lift) 
• Other areas with sufficient unwanted fat 

The specific combination is highly individualized. Rather than simply moving fat from one place to another, Dr. Tumbaga plans treatment around how reducing one area and enhancing another can work together to improve your overall proportions. 

What happens during laser lipo with fat transfer? 

At Wellness Diagnostics and Medispa, fat transfer is paired with minimally invasive laser liposuction. Laser energy is used during the liposuction process to help target unwanted fat in the selected donor area, which is then carefully removed. The harvested fat is processed so healthy fat cells can be prepared for grafting and strategically injected into the treatment area. 

Placement is important because the transferred cells need access to an adequate blood supply in their new location to survive. The amount placed and distribution of the fat are customized to create smooth contours and an enhancement that complements your existing shape. 

How long do fat transfer results last? 

Fat transfer can provide long-lasting results once the surviving fat cells become established in their new location. Not every transferred cell will survive, however, so some loss of initial volume is expected as you heal. This is one reason your appearance shortly after treatment isn't considered your optimal result. Over the following weeks and months, swelling subsides, and the remaining transferred fat settles into its new location. 

Once established, those cells behave much like fat elsewhere in your body and can expand or shrink with future weight changes. Maintaining a relatively stable weight after fat transfer can help preserve your contours. 

Is laser lipo with fat transfer right for me? 

Candidacy comes down to more than simply having fat you'd like removed. Again, you should have adequate donor tissue, be in good overall health, and understand both what fat transfer can accomplish and its limitations. It can be especially appealing if you want to reduce localized fullness while adding natural volume elsewhere and prefer to use your own tissue for enhancement. Your skin quality, body proportions, weight stability, treatment areas, and desired degree of change will all influence whether the procedure makes sense. A personalized evaluation with Dr. Tumbaga can determine whether laser lipo with fat transfer offers the right balance of reduction and enhancement for your body. 

Take from here, add there with laser lipo and fat transfer in Temecula, CA 

At Wellness Diagnostics and Medispa, medical aesthetics specialist Gloria Tumbaga, MD, combines minimally invasive laser liposuction with fat transfer to create personalized contours using your body's own tissue. Contact our friendly team to schedule a consultation for laser lipo and fat transfer in Temecula, CA, serving patients from Menifee, Murrieta, San Diego, and surrounding areas, and see what a strategic shift in volume could do for your shape.