Are you thinking about getting a Fat Transfer? Hundreds of thousands of people have had it done, but many of them, in hindsight, wish they had gone into it knowing a few things first.
Belle Medical wants to make your Fat Transfer experience the best it can be, so we’ve compiled a list of things that are really important to know before you sign up for a treatment. We’ll cover how Fat Transfer works, what the process is for getting a Fat Transfer, and whether the results are permanent, among other topics. Here are nine things to consider while you think about getting a Fat Transfer procedure.
1. Prioritize choosing the right provider
As with any important medical procedure, you should thoroughly research providers in your area until you find one you feel comfortable with. You want someone who will be honest with you if your goals for Fat Transfer are unrealistic or cannot be achieved, and you want your procedure to have the highest chances of being a wonderful success. The more experienced the provider, the better the overall experience you’ll have.
Belle Medical gives you the chance to consult with the provider who will perform your treatment before you commit. You can also check our Before and After photo gallery for a look at some of the results our providers have achieved for our patients.
2. Establish expectations with your provider
Communicate with your provider about what you can expect before and after the Fat Transfer procedure. What can you realistically anticipate your results looking like? Will the final results be immediate, or will there be some swelling? Is there a contingency you should follow if you’re not satisfied with the results? Ask these kinds of questions so you understand all protocols and don’t face any unnecessary surprises. Also, make sure your provider points out the injection points with a drawing so you know exactly where on your body they’re going.
3. Fat Transfers are not the same as fillers
A Fat Transfer procedure takes a lot longer than a dermal filler procedure. It’s more involved and requires more steps. How is a Belle Medical Fat Transfer done? First, we remove the fat from another area of your body via HD Body Sculpting, then we purify it to separate the healthy fat cells from damaged ones. Finally, we inject enough of your healthy fat cells into your chosen treatment areas to create your desired shape and volume, achieving more natural results than dermal fillers are capable of. Our Fat Transfer procedures require only local anesthetic.
4. Expect minimal bruising and swelling
Belle Medical’s Fat Transfer treatments involve minimally invasive procedures, so they’re much easier on the body than alternative forms of cosmetic enhancement. That said, you may experience a small level of discomfort in the harvesting area and the injection area. The stomach and thighs tend to be more prone to minimal post-operative bruising and swelling. That said, due to our patented approach that enables us to remove fat cells gently, bruising is fairly uncommon with a Belle Medical procedure. If you follow our recommended post-op routine, you should heal very quickly and easily.
5. You won’t face serious downtime, but full recovery takes two to three weeks
How long does it take to recover from a Fat Transfer procedure? Although our Fat Transfer treatments are gentle enough that most patients can return to work and their other everyday responsibilities within a few days, it takes longer to heal completely. Full recovery time may vary depending on your age and your treatment sites, but most of the time, it takes between two and three weeks.
To give you an idea of how recovery from a Fat Transfer to the breast, for example, might go, minimal bruising that lasts for up to seven days is normal. It’ll be at its worst for about two to three days immediately after the procedure. That said, the soreness is about the same as the day after a really intense workout.
After about a week, the swelling will dramatically reduce, and you will really start to see the scope of your results. After around three weeks, the swelling should be completely gone. At four weeks and beyond, you won’t even be able to tell you had a procedure performed (except for your whole new body shape and aesthetic).
Pain after a Fat Transfer is minimal. There are some medications that many patients say work well to decrease their recovery time. Ask your personal doctor about what you can take. Again, the feeling is no different than what you get from a solid workout, so needing pain medication is unlikely.
6. You’ll have to be patient with the results
While you should notice a positive difference immediately, the full results of a Fat Transfer don’t reveal themselves for one to three months on average. Even though the bruising and swelling subside much faster than that, physical results take a little longer to show. Most of our patients have observed that the fat absorption process happens incrementally over about 90 days.
7. You have some degree of control over your results
How long do the results of a Fat Transfer last? To a certain extent, they’re permanent—significant changes to your figure and body chemistry won’t just disappear over time. That said, because our results are more natural than other body enhancement methods, they’re also more subject to aging and lifestyle choices. You can help maintain excellent results by sticking to a healthy exercise routine and making good dietary choices.
8. Don’t worry if you get lumps—they’re temporary
Every once in a while, small lumps form in the injection area after the procedure. If this happens to you, don’t worry. Most of the time they go away on their own given a little bit of time. You can massage these lumps out yourself, but it’s even more important that you don’t miss any of the post-operative massages included with your procedure. There is a direct correlation between the massage work done and the percentage of fat cells that will successfully adhere post-procedure. Massages are vital to a positive outcome if you want to have as much of the transferred fat as possible take to its new area in your body.
9. The results are worth it
Our data shows that over 90% of patients are happy with the results of their Fat Transfer. Now, just because the success rate is so high doesn’t mean you should jump right into it. Be sure to do your research. Talk to people who’ve had it done. Ask questions of multiple providers. Learn as much as you can. Your whole experience will be so much more rewarding the more you know going in.
Ask Belle Medical
If you’re considering getting a Fat Transfer to any part of your body and you have questions that weren’t answered here, reach out to Belle Medical. We would love to talk to you.
Wendy has always had a passion for wellness and making a difference in people’s lives. Her lifelong interest in diet, exercise, and overall wellness led her to join Belle Medical in 2017, where she’s been able to combine her knowledge and experience with cutting-edge technology to help patients spot reduce stubborn areas of their bodies and bring their inner beauty outside too. Wendy strongly believes that if people feel good about themselves, they will go out and make a difference in the lives of others as well.
Wendy is a wife and the mother of six children. She also has two grandchildren. She attended school at BYU-Idaho and UVU. In addition to her medical experience, she has a natural talent for writing and public speaking. She authored a children’s book about the loss of a parent after experiencing the loss of her first husband to cancer. Before joining Belle Medical, she and her husband operated a successful home-based wellness company for three years, which involved mentoring, coaching, and personal development.