Fat Transfer and Lipofilling in Istanbul

Anka Plastic Surgery, Istanbul

Fat transfer involves removing fat from one area of your own body, preparing it carefully and transferring it to areas where additional volume or soft-tissue support is needed. The procedure is also known as lipofilling, fat grafting or autologous fat transfer.

One of its main advantages is that the material used comes from your own body, so fat grafting can be used for both aesthetic and reconstructive purposes.

At Anka Plastic Surgery, we most commonly use fat transfer for the face and under-eye area, selected breast procedures, and soft-tissue depressions following trauma or previous surgery. In suitable patients, fat grafting may also be combined with stromal vascular fraction (SVF).

Fat Transfer at a Glance

• Price: From £2,250 for small facial areas; from £3,500 for larger areas such as the breasts
• Donor areas: Abdomen, waist, flanks, hips or thighs
• Anaesthesia: Local anaesthesia for small facial areas; general anaesthesia for larger treatment areas
• Duration of surgery: Depends on the donor area, the treatment area and the amount of fat required
• Early swelling: A significant proportion improves over the first few weeks
• Final result: Cannot be judged early; the tissues take longer to settle and the retained volume to become clear
• Can be repeated: Yes, if additional correction is needed

How Is Fat Transfer Performed?

The procedure generally involves three stages.

1. Fat Harvesting

Fat is removed from a suitable donor area using liposuction. Common donor sites include the abdomen, waist, flanks and thighs. Donor-site planning is not only about obtaining enough fat: the contour and appearance of the donor area must also be considered.

2. Fat Preparation

The harvested fat is processed to separate it from blood, excess fluid and unwanted components. Depending on the purpose of treatment, it may be prepared in different particle sizes. In selected patients in whom SVF is planned, part of the harvested fat may also be processed separately.

3. Fat Injection

The prepared fat is placed into the target area with fine cannulas, in small, controlled amounts, from different directions and across different tissue planes. The aim is not to inject a large volume into one spot, but to distribute small fat grafts so they make contact with the surrounding tissues and develop a new blood supply. This improves the chance of long-term survival.

Where Can Fat Transfer Be Used?

Fat transfer can be used in different areas of the face and body for both aesthetic and reconstructive purposes. The treatment area and the amount of fat required vary from patient to patient.

Facial Fat Transfer

The face is one of the areas where we most frequently use fat transfer. Ageing is not only associated with skin laxity: the facial fat compartments also lose volume and change position over time. This may contribute to under-eye hollows, hollow temples, loss of cheek volume and flattening of the midface.

The aim is not to enlarge the whole face, but to restore volume selectively where it has been lost. Planning is based on the three-dimensional distribution of facial volume rather than treating the face as a series of separate filling points.

Fat grafting may be considered for:

• The under-eye area
• Cheeks and midface
• The cheekbone region
• Temples
• The nasolabial area
• Chin and jawline
• Selected scars and contour depressions

Under-eye area. The transition between the lower eyelid and cheek can become more visible with age, creating a hollow or tired appearance. In suitable patients, finely prepared fat can soften this transition. Because the skin here is thin, the amount and depth of injection are particularly important: excessive or superficial placement may lead to irregularities, asymmetry or prolonged swelling. We therefore prefer small, controlled amounts.

Temples, cheeks and midface. Volume loss in the temples can make the face look more hollow or tired, and loss of midface volume can make the face look flatter. Fat transfer can soften the temporal contour and restore natural support. The aim is not excessive cheek projection, but natural balance.

Breast Fat Transfer

Fat transfer can be used in selected breast procedures. It may be considered if you do not want implants and are looking for a modest increase in breast volume, or to improve small contour irregularities or asymmetries after previous breast surgery. In suitable patients, taking fat from the abdomen, waist, hips or thighs allows donor-site contouring to be combined with the transfer.

Breast augmentation with fat transfer is different from augmentation with implants. Implants can provide a larger and more predictable increase in volume in a single operation. With fat transfer, enough donor fat is required, the amount that can be transferred in one session is limited, and some of the transferred fat may be lost during healing. It may suit patients seeking a more natural, limited increase in volume. For larger increases, fat can also be combined with an implant (composite breast augmentation). See our Breast Augmentation page for more detail.

Post-Traumatic and Post-Surgical Depressions

Fat grafting also has an important role in reconstructive surgery. Soft-tissue loss, contour irregularities and depressions may occur after trauma, previous surgery or reconstructive procedures. Fat transfer can replace missing soft tissue and soften the transition between the affected area and the surrounding tissues.

Some scars become adherent to deeper tissues and create a visible depression. In selected patients, the scar can be released and fat placed into the resulting space to improve contour. Not every scar is suitable: its type, depth and relationship to the underlying tissues must first be assessed.

Buttock Fat Transfer and BBL

High-volume fat transfer to the buttocks is commonly known as a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL). Gluteal fat transfer has different safety considerations from many other fat-grafting procedures, particularly when fat is injected into deeper planes or muscle.

At Anka Plastic Surgery, we do not routinely perform high-volume BBL procedures for dramatic buttock enlargement. In selected patients, limited superficial fat transfer may be considered to correct specific contour deficiencies. Our priority here is not maximum volume, but safe and controlled contour improvement.

Microfat, Nanofat and Conventional Fat Grafting

These are related techniques, but they are not the same.

• Conventional fat grafting is mainly used to restore or create volume.
• Microfat contains smaller fat particles that can be delivered through finer cannulas.
• Nanofat is processed more extensively and contains fewer mature fat cells. It is mainly used when the stromal and regenerative components of fat tissue are of greater interest than volume itself.

The type of fat preparation is selected according to the aim of treatment.

SVF-Enriched Fat Transfer

In selected patients, fat grafting may be combined with stromal vascular fraction (SVF). SVF is not a pure stem-cell product. It is a heterogeneous fraction derived from adipose tissue and contains a mixture of stromal, vascular and cellular components.

At our clinic, SVF can be prepared using the Adinizer system when we believe there may be a clinical indication. The aim is to support the biological environment around the graft, vascularisation and tissue response.

However, current scientific evidence does not support the claim that SVF will improve fat survival by a predictable amount in every patient or every treatment area. For this reason, we do not use SVF routinely in all fat-transfer procedures.

Can Fat Transfer Improve Skin Quality?

Fat tissue contains more than mature fat cells: it also includes stromal cells, vascular structures and other biological cell populations. Some patients may therefore notice changes in skin quality in addition to improved volume. However, the primary purpose of fat grafting is volume restoration. Any regenerative effect on the skin should be considered a possible additional benefit, not a guaranteed result.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Fat Transfer?

Fat transfer may be suitable if you:

• Have volume loss in the face, such as under-eye hollows, hollow temples or flattening of the midface
• Want a modest, natural increase in breast volume without an implant
• Have a contour depression or soft-tissue loss after trauma or previous surgery
• Have enough donor fat for the planned procedure
• Are in good general health and have realistic expectations

Who May Not Be Suitable?

Fat transfer is not suitable for every patient. When planning treatment, we consider your general health, the availability of donor fat, smoking and nicotine use, tissue quality, the blood supply of the treatment area and whether your expectations are realistic.

• Very slim patients may not have enough donor fat for the planned procedure.
• Fat transfer is not always the right solution for significant skin laxity. Adding volume alone may not adequately address the problem.

These points are always discussed individually during consultation.

Preparing for Surgery

A detailed preparation plan is provided after your consultation. In general:

• Medical assessment: Your medical history, medications and general health are reviewed, and any required tests are completed before the procedure.
• Smoking and nicotine: Patients are advised to stop smoking and avoid nicotine products for the period recommended by the surgeon before and after surgery, because nicotine affects healing and fat survival.
• Medications and supplements: Blood-thinning medicines, anti-inflammatory drugs and some herbal supplements may need to be stopped beforehand. Never stop prescribed medication without medical advice.
• Stable weight: A stable weight before surgery helps maintain the result.

Recovery After Fat Transfer

Recovery takes place in both the donor area and the area receiving the fat.

During the first few days, swelling, bruising, tenderness and temporary asymmetry may occur. After facial fat transfer, early swelling can make the treated area look fuller than the final result. As swelling subsides and some of the non-surviving fat is gradually lost, the contour becomes more representative of the long-term outcome.

A significant proportion of swelling usually improves during the first few weeks, but it can take longer for the tissues to settle and for the remaining volume to be assessed accurately. The final result should therefore not be judged too early.

Risks of Fat Transfer

Although fat transfer uses your own tissue, it is still a surgical procedure and is not risk-free. Possible complications include:

• Infection
• Bleeding
• Bruising
• Asymmetry
• Contour irregularities
• Too much or too little fat survival
• Fat necrosis
• Fat cysts
• Calcifications
• Anaesthetic risks
• The need for additional treatment

Fat necrosis occurs when part of the transferred fat does not develop an adequate blood supply and the fat cells lose viability. Larger areas can sometimes cause firmness, palpable nodules, fat cysts or contour irregularities. One reason for placing fat in small amounts across different tissue planes is to reduce this risk. Injection planning is particularly important in areas such as the face and buttocks because of their vascular anatomy.

Fat Transfer Cost

The extent of fat transfer varies considerably from one patient to another. A small-volume under-eye procedure is very different from full-face fat transfer, breast fat grafting or correction of a reconstructive deformity.

The cost depends on factors such as:

• The area being treated
• The amount of fat required
• The number of donor areas requiring liposuction
• The type of anaesthesia
• Whether additional procedures such as SVF are planned
• The hospital setting required

A personalised treatment plan and quotation are provided after assessment.

Our Approach to Fat Transfer

At Anka Plastic Surgery, we do not see fat grafting simply as a “natural filler”. Fat is living tissue that can restore volume and can also play an important role in reconstructive surgery when soft tissue is missing.

Our aim is not to inject as much fat as possible. It is to place an appropriate amount of fat in the correct anatomical plane to create a natural and safe volume transition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Book Your Consultation

Every fat transfer is planned individually after assessment of the treatment area, the amount of donor fat available and your goals. To find out whether fat transfer is right for you, contact our team.