Also known as a fat graft or lipomodelling, a surgical fat transfer removes unwanted or excess fat from one area of the body and places it another area of the body that requires extra plumping. Popular areas to have fat taken from include the tummy and thighs. Many people choose to have the fat removed from these areas and transferred to their breasts and/or buttocks.  

If you are unhappy with an area of your body that’s lacking in volume and want to give it a naturally plump look, surgical fat transfer could offer you several benefits. Some of the benefits of having fat transfer can include: 

• Removes excess fat from areas of your body which might be difficult to budge through diet and exercise 
• Restores volume and smoothness to areas of your body lacking in volume
• Gives a more natural-looking result than implants
• Can improve your body proportions
• Might help to boost your self-confidence 

Each cosmetic surgery comes with its own risks and potential side effects. Those associated with fat transfer surgery can include:

• Swelling 
• Bruising 
• Bleeding 
• Infection 
• Fat necrosis (death of fat tissue) 
• Changes in sensation 
• Fat embolism (blockage of blood vessel caused by fat) 
• Loss of fat from injection site
  
  

You’ll be given anaesthetic for fat transfer surgery. This comes with its own risks and side effects, which you can read more about here. 

Before the surgery, you’ll be given either local or general anaesthetic. If you’re given local anaesthetic, the areas being treated will be numbed and you won’t feel any pain during the procedure. If you’re given general anaesthetic, you’ll be asleep throughout the whole procedure. 

Once the anaesthetic has taken effect, your surgeon will begin by making small incisions in the area where the fat is being taken from. A thin tube is inserted into the incision(s) and suction is used to remove the fat, in a process similar to liposuction. The incisions are then closed. 

The removed fat is then put through a special process to separate it from blood and any other fluids before being injected into the desired area. 

The whole fat transfer process can take up to 4 hours to complete, depending on the volume of fat being transferred. 

Once the anaesthetic has taken place, your surgeon will begin by injecting the targeted area with a solution containing anaesthetic, in order to reduce any bruising and swelling. They will then make small incisions in the targeted area before inserting a thin tube (known as a cannula) which is attached to a suction machine

The cannula is moved back and forth to loosen the fat and suck it out. Once this part is complete, any excess fluid is drained before the area is sutured and bandaged.

The whole process can take between 1-3 hours.

You might be considering fat grafting if there’s an area of your body that you’d like to add volume to without the use of implants. To be suitable for the procedure, you should have a sufficient amount of fat in a donor site, such as your thighs or tummy.  

As with any cosmetic procedure, you should be in generally good health, a non-smoker and have realistic expectations of the results. 

After your fat transfer, you’ll spend one night in hospital before going home to recover.  

You’ll need to take around 2 weeks off work, depending on how physical your job is. You’ll be swollen and bruised for the first few weeks, but can take suitable painkillers to help with this. You should avoid strenuous activity and heavy lifting for at least 1 month.  

It can take up to 6 months to see your final results, and you may need to wear a compression garment for a few months following your procedure to get the most out of your results.