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Patients always ask me how fat grafting works and how long it lasts. It is a great question because fat grafting has become more common over the past few years, with it being used in facial rejuvenation, hand rejuvenation, breast augmentation, buttock enhancement, and other areas for volume restoration.

HOW IT IS DONE
Fat grafting is mostly about fat relocation, taking fat from areas we don’t want and relocating it into areas we want to enhance volume. But although this concept is relatively easy to understand, the actual procedure has taken plastic surgeons many years to develop. Even now, we are always constantly improving on the different methods to increase the survivability of fat cells in the newly grafted area.

Fat grafting can be explained as a three-step process: (1) harvesting, (2) purification and transfer, and (3) placement.

Harvesting: Fat is collected from the donor site using a cannula connected to a syringe. The most common location to harvest fat is the tummy, but we can also choose from other potential sites, such as the thighs, the love handles, and even the back of the arms.

Purification and transfer: The fluid obtained during liposuction is then treated to remove excess fluid from damaged fat cells so that the fat left is concentrated and ready to be injected. The prepared fat is then loaded into syringes for injection.

Placement: The last step would be to inject the fat cells into their new home using small fat grafting cannulas that would not damage the fat cells. The fat is injected into many tunnels and layers. We want the fat to be widely dispersed in the tissue and not to collect in one single area. If the fat does not receive blood supply within a short period of time, it will die and can become scar tissue. That’s why your choice of plastic surgeon must have great experience and technique.

HOW LONG DOES IT LAST
When the transfer fat cells successfully survive in their new location, they stay there forever, just like the fat tissue that is naturally present there. However, the fat tissues are also subjected to natural factors such as weight fluctuations and continued aging.

IMPORTANCE OF FINDING THE RIGHT PLASTIC SURGEON
The success rate of fat grafting is highly dependent on these 4 things:

1. Technique of collecting fat cells that will keep them alive.
2. Technique of processing the fat cells that will remove the unnecessary elements.
3. Technique of injecting the cell that will optimize fat graft survival.
4. Care of fat cells after fat grafting.

All these 4 factors are vital for long-lasting and beautiful results. And it mostly boils down to the technique of your plastic surgeon. Hence, I always urge patients to look for an accredited plastic surgeon who has a vast amount of experience dealing with liposuction and fat transfer on a regular basis. They are the ones who are meticulous with their surgical technique and practice in a safe facility. Of course, the patient must also ensure graft survival through lifestyle changes. They should avoid smoking, wear compression garments, and maintain appropriate sleeping positions. Your plastic surgeon will discuss all these during the consultation.

In Singapore, plastic surgeons must be accredited by the Ministry of Health Singapore. Check here: https://bit.ly/1smGHDq

To learn more about fat grafting, do contact us at:
Dr Marco Faria-Correa Plastic Surgery
Tel: +65 64648075
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.drmarco.com

Disclaimer: The information contained in this post is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. It is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your plastic surgeon or other qualified healthcare provider before starting any new treatment or discontinuing an existing treatment. Always speak to your healthcare provider about any questions you may have regarding a procedure.

“You’ll never get a second chance to make a first impression,” this was always a phrase that refers to the courtship ritual, maybe job interviews too. Whether it refers to our pearly white smiles, our haircut, or even our general physique, appearances do matter for first impressions, or at least for our self-confidence.

This motivation to look good certainly also applies to new mothers. Some are still in their 20s, but after delivering only one child, their bodies appear to have succumbed to a lifetime of aging. Should you, as new mothers, continue living as a prematurely droopy version of yourselves due to gravity and the results of childbirth?

No, you should not. Plastic surgery has offered a new set of procedures just for new mothers. It is called the Mummy Makeover.

So what exactly is in a Mummy Makeover package?
The Mummy Makeover is a range of procedures designed to help mothers regain the youthfulness of their breasts, their tummy, their body, and their face that underwent changes with age and the aftereffects of pregnancy and childbirth.

A Mummy Makeover typically treats the following areas:

• Breasts—Breasts enhancement, Breasts lift, Breast reduction
• Body—Abdominoplasty (Tummy tuck), Liposculpture, Labiaplasty
• Face—Facelift, Neck lift, Fat grafting, Botox, Dermal fillers

Just imagine restoring volume to your breast and returning them to their youthful position. If they have become uncomfortably large, you will be able to get them back to their pre-pregnancy size and shape. By removing the excess skin and tightening the abdominal muscle, you can return to a flat and attractive belly again. On top of all these, liposculpture can help to contour the body by removing the undesirable fats that diet and exercise can’t solve, be it the love handles around your waist or that pooch on your belly, hips, buttocks, or thighs.

Each of these procedures will be specifically tailored to suit each individual’s needs, depending on the aims and the particular body types and lifestyle.

A combination of procedures will be done in the same setting. For example, having breast surgery done during a tummy tuck. This combination will typically take longer hours, but it saves expense and recovery time compared to dividing it up into two operations at different times. (To learn more about the benefits of combining multiple surgeries, please click here.)

So, this brings us to the popular question.

When is the best time to have a Mummy Makeover?
Most of the procedures in the Mummy Makeover do not affect future pregnancies. Patients who have had breast implants and did breast lifts do not have any problems breastfeeding after, as long as it is not done via the periareolar incisions (click for more information). Other procedures such as facelifts, neck lifts, labiaplasty, and liposculpture do not affect future pregnancies in any way either.

In terms of a tummy tuck, I will advise my patients to wait if they are sure they will not be getting pregnant in the near future. However, most patients who were pregnant again after they had had a tummy tuck did not report any complications. The abdominal muscles and skin stretch normally during the fetus’s development. In fact, they even reported having better figures than after their first pregnancy.

In general, there is no best or worst time to have a Mummy Makeover. In fact, some of my patients are even grandmothers! Once the time calls for it, don’t put it off. Most of my patients say that it is the best thing they have ever done for themselves and wish that they have done it sooner.

To learn more about Mummy Makeover, do contact us at:
Dr Marco Faria-Correa Plastic Surgery
Tel: +65 64648075
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.drmarco.com

Physical appearance significantly impacts our lives. Research has shown that as human beings, our appearance not only affects how we view ourselves but it also contributes to how society treats us. It is not surprising that as a supplement to grooming and exercise, cosmetic and plastic surgery have become a popular go-to option for millions of women and men every year.

To break it down, beauty can be divided into four major categories: ageing, youthfulness, symmetry, and gender. If we think of beauty in these terms, it becomes easier to understand the aesthetic surgery of the body from top to toe.

Firstly, as we age, our skin and soft tissues lose tone and elasticity. It shows on the face with the appearance of loose skin and the development of wrinkles. Similarly, the same droopiness is noticeable on the breasts, abdominal skin, and buttocks. The most common way to reverse these changes due to ageing is to surgically “lift” the loose skin and tissues. In the plastic surgery sense, “lifting” of the skin can mean either pulling up or tightening the area by removing any excess skin and tissue so that what is left is pulled tighter together. Lifting is a typical technique used in the face (brow lift, eyelid lift, face lift, neck lift), breasts (breast lift), and body (body lift, thigh lift, butt lift). By pulling the excess loose skin together, the lifted area looks more youthful.

Beauty can also be explained in terms of youthfulness. It directly correlates with a person’s fit and toned body. As such, the appearance of any fatty deposits under the chin, “bra roll” area, thighs, and tummies may make people look less youthful. When no amount of exercise or diet can help, patients usually turn to plastic surgery, namely liposuction, to remove unwanted fats. Similarly, there must also be the right amount of fat in the right places for youthful vigor. For example, full breasts (in a female) and full buttocks are considered to be signs of youth. When an area lacks fullness and appears deflated, patients can choose to add to that area using plastic surgery techniques such as fat grafting, breast augmentation, and buttock augmentation. It is also common to have both fat grating and liposuction done in the same procedure (liposculpture) to contour and ‘fine-tune’ the body and create a desirable svelte shape.

Symmetry is a further aspect of how we assess our appearance. Most of us would be self-conscious if one of our hands or feet were bigger than the other. The same applies if this asymmetry is present on our face, breast, or body. Thankfully, fillers can help correct facial asymmetry and lift brows. Treatments to remove wrinkles &  expression lines can help with uneven brow height. Breast asymmetry can be sorted out with breast lift, breast augmentation, or breast reduction. Not only that, otoplasty can help balance out the ears, while rhinoplasty can make the nose more symmetrical. Corrections in such cases can not only improve physical health conditions but are extremely psychologically rewarding to patients, resolving self-esteem issues.

Last but not least, gender also plays a part in our concept of attractiveness. Basically, men and women have significantly different beauty standards. Men have heavier and lower brows, while women have finer, more delicate and higher brows. These standards define and guide a plastic surgeon in various cosmetic procedures. For instance, even though brow lifting can restore youthfulness to a man’s face, the plastic surgeon should take care to not elevate the brows too much as it might create an unwanted feminine appearance. Another example where gender beauty standards play a part is in contouring surgery. Waists that are too straight on a woman might create a more masculine appearance, while too much curve on a man might appear too feminine.

Essentially, aesthetic surgery from top to toe can be easily broken down into four categories to understand patient goals and guide plastic surgeons. Ultimately, all of these guidelines cannot compare to the expertise of an experienced plastic surgeon.

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Disclaimer: The information contained in this post is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. It is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your plastic surgeon or other qualified healthcare provider before starting any new treatment or discontinuing an existing treatment. Always speak to your healthcare provider about any questions you may have regarding a procedure.