Fat Transfer Injection With PRP

Fat injections with PRP is an easy and safe procedure that utilizes the patient’s existing fat tissue with PRP or Platelet Rich Plasma to improve their facial and body features. Did you know that Platelet Rich Plasma has been used more than a decade? Therefore, PRP is clinically-proven to be safe and efficient. On procedure day, a small bit of the patient’s blood gets extracted. Next, Dr. Helliwell isolates the plasma and concentrates the autologous platelets. The PRP is then ready to inject back into the patient’s problematic areas.

Areas For Fat Transfer

• Breast Augmentation
• Buttock Rejuvenation 0r Brazilian Butt Lift
• Lip Augmentation
• Skin Depressions and Scars Correction
• Labia Majora

Fat Transfer Injections: Common Questions

Q. What are fat injections?

A. Fat injections is a procedure where a patient’s excess fat gets removed from areas like the abdomen, hips, flanks, or thighs; furthermore, after special preparation, the excess fat gets injected into body areas that need filling. Dr. Helliwell specializes in the microfat grafting technique. The process requires gentle fat-removal using low-vacuum liposuction and the use of thin, delicate, non-traumatic cannulas to protect the survival of each harvested living fat cell. The fat cells are then purified and slowly injected through tiny skin incisions into the tissue of the recipient site utilizing a small syringe and cannula. Tiny droplets are placed throughout the tissues assuring that each transferred fat cell will have an adequate blood supply to achieve the permanent survival of the injected fat cells.

Q. What are fat injections used for?

A. Lip Augmentation

Your own fat can be used for lip augmentation, giving you a natural look. Also, lip augmentation can correct some of the lines found around the mouth. Furthermore, lip augmentation can help establish more fullness and definition of the lower lip, upper lip, or both as desired. After the procedure and two-to-five days have passed, swelling should be gone and lips embrace a natural fullness look. If you see some slight bruising, it can be covered with make-up and will not harm the affected area. Throughout the first few months, some of the fat may get absorbed by your body. 2 injections over a six-month period is recommended if one desires permanent results.

B. Hand Rejuvenation

Fat injections can be administered to a patient’s hands in order to achieve fuller, more contoured hands like those of younger hands.

C. Buttocks Rejuvenation or Brazilian Lift

Microfat grafting can add fullness to any part of a patient’s buttocks or their entire buttocks to create their desired look. First, the fat is gently removed from the abdomen, hips, thighs, or flanks. Next, the fat gets processed by using a sterile decanting technique. Once the fat is purified, it gets injected into the buttocks with special cannulas. Postoperative recovery is mild and aided by medication.

Where is the procedure done? This procedure is performed at our office under total, local tumescent anesthesia.

What is the surgical fee? The surgical fee depends on the amount of fat which must be obtained and the number of donor areas which must undergo liposuction to obtain enough fat. Microfat grafting assures lasting results and gives a very natural shape and feel to the buttocks.

When will swelling go down? Once the swelling is down, there is a return to normal sensation, the grafted areas look and feel natural and there are no physical restrictions to patients after their first 2 weeks of recovery.

D. Breast Augmentation

Patients who want breast augmentation but are not comfortable with implants can undergo breast augmentation using their excess fat. Dr. Helliwell uses the microfat grafting technique for breast augmentation. Following the fat transfer, a patient’s breasts will look and feel normal. Also, the results are long-lasting.

E. Skin Depressions, Sub-dermal Attachments and Scar Corrections

Facial lines, depressions, folds and depressed scars on a patient’s face or body can be treated with injectable fat too. However, many deep folds, lines, scars, and wrinkles are resistant to injected fat because of the severe attachment of the depression to the underlying deeper tissue. To overcome this issue, Dr. Helliwell uses a novel wire scalpel method that doesn’t require skin incisions to release the attachments. After the release of the skin is complete, fat injections are performed to correct the defect. Furthermore, fat injections act as a spacer to prevent reattachment of the released area.

F: Fat Injection to Labia Majora

When some women age, their labia majora experiences major atrophy and their dermis under the skin thins out. As a result of women’s’ aging labia majora, it becomes saggy, wrinkled, darkened or flat. Dr. Helliwell can dramatically rejuvenate a patient’s labia majora with microfat grafting. The fat injections add fat to the areas beneath the skin, creating a full, youthful appearance and results that last.

Q. How are fat injections different from commercial fillers?

A. There are many commercial injectable fillers such as Radiesse, Restylane, Captique, Sculptra, Cosmoderm, Cosmoplast, Hylaform, etc, that are available for facial rejuvenation. Each of these products has its own unique set of advantages and disadvantages:

Using fine needles, the fillers are injected into the skin under each depression or wrinkle. The filler pushes the depressed wrinkle forward and makes it less visible. There is temporary discomfort associated with the injection. The use of ice or an anesthetic cream can be used to numb the area, making the injections painless. Three important factors should be considered when selecting a filler: 1) longevity of the filler, 2) cost, 3) ease of administration. As an example, Restylane (a cosmetic filler) lasts 4-6 months, costs $440-$750 per syringe, is easy to administer, and feels natural. Fat injection is a more involved procedure that requires first harvesting the fat using liposuction and disposable harvest devices. Second, the fat must be processed and purified prior to injection. Fat injections may be associated with more bruising and swelling then commercial fillers. The advantages of fat injections include its long acting effects (the fat that does survive is there permanently); the fat is your own tissue so there is no chance of an allergic reaction; and, unlike commercial fillers, the availability of one’s own body fat enables its use in larger volumes to fill larger defects