Fat Transfer in Scottsdale

Fat transfer is the use of a patient’s own body fat as a soft tissue filler to contour and add volume to specific areas of the face and body.

Enhance your features with subtle volume

With a fat transfer, the tissue for the procedure is generally taken from areas where the contour can be improved by removing fat, such as the abdomen, knees, or thighs. The most common areas for fat injection are the lips, beneath the lower eyelids to fill in hollows, and along the brow line.

It is also common to fill the cheeks and chin, and to augment the angle of the lower jaw. In addition to the face, our patients often request a fat transfer in Scottsdale to enhance the rest of their body with subtle volume, especially the buttocks, hands and breasts.

Before & After

Patient is a 29-year-old female who is 5’1” and weighs 129 lbs. She has been unable to obtain the curves she is looking for despite intense exercise regimens and very clean eating. She desires a more voluptuous rear with a smaller waist and better definition of her musculature.

View Gallery

Before

After

Is a fat transfer right for you?

The ideal fat transfer candidates are men and women who want to:

Improve the appearance of facial wrinkles and creases
Minimize smile lines, frown lines and marionette lines
Fill in hollow areas or depressions throughout the face
Obscure veins, tendons and other imperfections on the hands
Elevate, re-shape and enhance the buttocks
Restore subtle, natural breast volume

The procedure

What to expect

The fat transfer is a combination of liposuction and fat injections. The liposuction is performed on features that can benefit from a fat reduction, while the injections are performed on areas that are lacking volume.

Dr. Shapiro often performs facial fat transfer in conjunction with a traditional facelift to refine the results and ensure a comprehensive transformation. However, the procedure can also be performed on its own to enhance the face, buttocks, breasts, hands and more.

Here’s a look at what to expect during your fat transfer procedure:

Step 1: Anesthesia

If your fat transfer is being done on its own, it can often be performed with local anesthesia. If you’re combining your fat transfer with a facelift, it will be done under general anesthesia, which means you will be completely asleep and unable to feel any pain or discomfort.

Step 2: Fat removal and processing

Once the anesthesia has been administered, Dr. Shapiro will perform liposuction to remove unwanted fat from a donor site. This fat can be taken from anywhere – including the abdomen, buttocks, hips and jowls. Dr. Shapiro uses extremely gentle, low-suction liposuction for this procedure to protect the fat cells from damage. From there, the collected volume will be placed in a centrifuge and spun at high speeds to isolate the cells for the procedure. We will then select only the undamaged fat cells to use during the transfer.

Step 3: Fat injections

The final step of your fat transfer will involve injecting the cleansed and processed fat cells into the target areas on your face and body. Dr. Shapiro will artfully place these injections to correct facial lines and wrinkles, enhance your facial or body contour, fill in hollow areas, and restore youthful volume.

The science behind the procedure

It is important to understand the science behind the fat transfer procedure. The tissues are not transferred simply as inorganic fillers, but rather as tissue that has the capability to maintain living cells and long-term enhancement. To promote the permanence of as much transferred fat as possible, strict protocols are followed for every patient.

These steps include delicate handling of the removed fat, careful centrifuging, and injection in very small quantities until the desired contour is achieved. This process is very detailed and time-consuming, but well worth the effort to promote long-term enhancement for every Scottsdale patient.

Restore youthful hands with a fat transfer

This is one of our most popular fat transfer procedures. With age, the soft and supple tissue in the hands gradually depletes. When this occurs, the underlying tendons, veins and bones become more visible, resulting in a weathered appearance.

A fat transfer to the hands is one of the best ways to combat these effects and restore a smooth and youthful-looking appearance. By removing unwanted fat from another area of the body and strategically injecting it into the hands, Dr. Shapiro can smooth out wrinkles, hide veins and tendons, and restore plump tissue.

Fat Transfer Before & Afters

View All Images

The recovery

It is common to experience mild swelling and bruising at the liposuction donor sites and fat injection locations after a fat transfer. However, the recovery period is generally quite easy and most of our clients are able to resume their normal daily activities within a day or two.

The results

The results of your procedure will be apparent immediately and will continue to improve as any residual swelling subsides. Our fat transfer patients enjoy a transformation that is extremely long-lasting and can endure for many years.

Related Procedures

Meet Dr. Daniel Shapiro

A world-class plastic surgeon in a league of his own.

Dr. Shapiro is an award-winning, board-certified plastic surgeon with nearly three decades of experience in his field. With impressive technical skill and a talent for creating natural-looking results, his practice has become a leading destination for discerning patients throughout the country.

Known for his compassion and honesty, Dr. Shapiro strives to educate his patients so that they are empowered about their care. He carefully explains the procedures, expected results, and techniques in a way that anyone can understand. Additionally, he personally guides his clients every step of the way – from the initial consultation to their post-operative care – to ensure an enjoyable experience and the best possible results.