Overview of Autologous Fat Surgery in New York City
Autologous fat surgery, also known as fat transfer or autologous fat grafting, has become increasingly popular in New York City. This cosmetic procedure involves taking excess fat from one part of the body through liposuction, processing it, and then injecting it into another area to add volume and contour. There are several top - notch medical facilities and surgeons in the city who are renowned for performing these procedures with great success.
Benefits of Autologous Fat Surgery
One of the main advantages of autologous fat surgery is that it uses the patient's own tissue, which reduces the risk of allergic reactions and rejection. The results also tend to look more natural compared to synthetic fillers or implants. Additionally, the procedure can simultaneously slim down the donor site while enhancing the target area, providing a two - fold benefit in body contouring.
Popular Hospitals and Their Surgeons
New York Surgical Arts
About the Hospital and Surgeon
New York Surgical Arts offers consultations at their two convenient locations in Manhattan and Long Island. Dr. Gordon Andan, a board - certified surgeon at this facility, is known for his artistic surgical sculpting in fat transfer procedures. He has years of experience in cosmetic surgery, crafting and refining techniques to deliver beautiful results.
Treatment Areas and Procedures
- Breast Fat Transfer: Can be used for breast reconstruction, improving the appearance of soft tissue after a prosthesis or tissue expander implant, or for minor breast augmentation. Studies show it is safe and effective, especially for minor size differences. However, for more substantial differences, other procedures like augmentation with implants or breast lift may still be preferred.
- Buttock Fat Transfer: Also known as the Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL), it allows for targeted augmentation of the buttock and thigh region. The liposuction technique used to extract fat can improve body contours in areas like the lower back, flanks, and thighs. It creates an “S - shaped” silhouette by simultaneously removing fat from the lower back and torso and augmenting the buttocks superiorly and medially.
- Fat Grafting for Scars: Helps patients with scars that are painful and tight, making joint movement difficult. The treatment takes fat from one part of the body to fill and reduce scars, and can be a less - invasive alternative to surgery. Injected fat has regenerative properties that can help create new skin cells and blood vessels, improving the appearance and feel of damaged skin.
Benefits and Candidate Criteria
The procedure offers benefits such as precise contouring, improvement of overall body aesthetics, minimal invasiveness, minimal scarring, and low donor - site morbidity. Ideal candidates are those who want to improve the contour of a specific body area, are in good health with enough excess fat for liposuction, have realistic expectations, do not have serious medical conditions, and are non - smokers or willing to quit.
Procedure and Recovery
The fat transfer procedure at New York Surgical Arts consists of four steps: preparation of the recipient site, harvesting of fat through liposuction, processing the fat cells to remove impurities, and injecting the purified fat cells into the treatment area. After the procedure, patients may experience swelling and tenderness, which usually resolve within a few days to a week. Dr. Andan provides specific post - operative instructions, including the use of compression garments, rest, and avoiding strenuous activity for a certain period.
Leonard Grossman MD
Surgeon's Expertise
Dr. Leonard Grossman pioneered the innovative fat grafting treatment in 1993 in New York City. He has been perfecting the procedure ever since, offering new and improved methods of augmentation, correction, and rejuvenation. His fat grafting procedure is a safe and reliable alternative to traditional surgery and implants.
Treatment Process
Dr. Grossman begins by removing fat from one or more areas of the patient's body using a syringe and small cannula. The obtained fat is then chemically stabilized and centrifuged. Live fat cells enriched with the patient's own stem cells are injected into the area where volume increase is desired. Since the patient's natural fat is used, there is no risk of rejection.
Advantages over Traditional Methods
Fat grafting by Dr. Grossman is superior to traditional implant augmentation surgery in many ways. There are no scars, little to no postoperative pain, the risk of infection is virtually non - existent, and there is no displacement, movement, or capsular contractures associated with traditional implants. Patients can resume work and near - normal activities immediately, and every part of the body or face can be treated.
Ideal Patients
Ideal patients for Dr. Grossman's fat grafting are those who want to increase breast size, reduce facial wrinkles and lines, rejuvenate the face and neck, improve the appearance of cheeks and mandible, build structure in calves and ankles, create larger muscle groups, increase buttock and hip volume, reduce the appearance of bow legs, rejuvenate hands, and experience a natural cosmetic treatment with no scarring, pain, and immediate results.
Dr. Gerald Imber
Surgeon's Reputation
Dr. Gerald Imber is an internationally renowned plastic surgeon who has performed over 25,000 surgical procedures. He performs a full range of cosmetic surgery procedures in his New York City practice, popularized the S - lift, and developed the limited incision facelift technique. He is dedicated to helping patients look as good as they feel and always strives for the most natural results.
Fat Transfer for the Face
Autologous fat transfer, in Dr. Imber's practice, is used to fill in lines and folds, build up cheekbones and chin, and eliminate facial depressions. As we age, we lose facial volume, and fat transfer offers a natural solution to replace this lost volume. Treatment areas include the creases in the middle forehead, temples, tear trough, periorbital area, cheeks, nose, mouth, jawline, and chin.
Procedure Details
The fat needed for the procedure is harvested from areas like the abdomen, hips, inner thighs, and buttocks through liposuction or syringe aspiration. After harvesting, the fat cells are processed in a centrifuge to separate them from other components. The purified fat is then prepared for injection. Dr. Imber uses techniques that aim for a large percentage of the transplanted fat to survive permanently.
Patient Considerations
Patients need to stop taking blood thinners, non - steroidal anti - inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and herbal supplements for at least a week before the treatment. Avoiding drinking and smoking is also necessary. The facial fat transfer requires only minimal downtime, and most patients can resume their daily routine with some restrictions within 24 hours. Slight bruising and swelling may occur.
Luxurgery (Dr. Sachin Shridharani)
Surgeon's Qualifications
Dr. Sachin Shridharani, board - certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, has been serving Manhattan for years. He and his dedicated team know the importance of providing high - quality treatment and achieving patient satisfaction in all aspects of plastic surgery.
Autologous Fat Transfer Procedure
An autologous fat transfer at Luxurgery involves removing fat from one area of the patient's body through liposuction and re - injecting it into an area where contouring is desired, like the buttocks or breasts. Fat can be taken from areas such as the abdomen, waist, pubis, upper back, hips, thighs, arms, knees, calves, and ankles.
Results and Recovery
It takes the body six months to one year to see the final results of most surgeries, but patients will see an overall change in contour and fullness within days. Swelling and bruising are common during the initial period, and the shape will continue to improve in the following weeks to months. Patients are generally not required to stay overnight after the procedure and can go home the same day.
Patient Criteria
Ideal candidates are those at a healthy weight with a reasonable amount of body fat for the donor site, in overall good health, with realistic expectations about the results, non - smokers, and free from underlying health conditions that may affect recovery.
Mount Sinai - New York
Autologous Breast Reconstruction
Mount Sinai offers autologous (microvascular) breast reconstruction, which takes a piece of skin and fat (flap) from one site on the body, such as the abdomen or thighs, and transfers it to the chest to reconstruct the breast after mastectomy. This approach has several advantages over implant reconstruction, including being a single - procedure that lasts a lifetime, using the patient's own natural tissue, reducing the risk of rejection or infection, and having a more natural appearance. There is also a higher likelihood of regaining breast sensation compared to implant reconstruction.
Advanced DIEP Flap Technique
Under the direction of Hani Sbitany, MD, Mount Sinai West has special expertise in the DIEP (deep inferior epigastric perforator) flap breast reconstruction. This technique completely avoids any muscle transfer and only involves the use of skin and fat. It transfers a section of skin and fat from the lower abdominal roll to the chest to rebuild the breast while preserving all abdominal muscles. As an added benefit, it tightens the remaining abdominal skin, similar to a “tummy tuck.”
Patient Suitability
Patients must want to use autologous reconstruction after a mastectomy, have sufficient fat tissue in the lower abdomen to meet their breast size and shape goals, and not have had certain types of abdominal surgery in the past for the DIEP flap procedure to be appropriate.
Dr. Mark H. Schwartz
Fat Grafting Procedure
Dr. Mark H. Schwartz performs fat grafting, also known as autologous fat transfer or liposculpture, in his New York City office. The procedure involves restoring lost volume with the patient's own fat, taken from the abdomen, thighs, or other areas. It is effective in treating sunken cheeks, facial lines, acne scars, and other areas of lost volume due to aging, sun damage, and other conditions.
Procedure Details
During the procedure, fat is taken from the donor area using a small cannula and suction under local anesthesia. The harvested fat is then purified, and only the fat cells are grafted. It is injected into the targeted area through a small instrument until the desired appearance is achieved. The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis, and the treatment time can vary depending on the number of areas being treated.
Results and Risks
Patients may experience mild swelling and bruising after the fat grafting procedure, which can be minimized with oral pain medications. Fat grafts usually last longer than fillers and are considered safe for most patients since no foreign material is injected. However, there are some uncommon risks such as infection, bleeding, and under or over - correction, which can be minimized by choosing an experienced doctor and following post - surgery instructions.
Zuckerman Plastic Surgery (Dr. Joshua D. Zuckerman)
Facial Fat Grafting
At Zuckerman Plastic Surgery, located in the upper east side of New York City, Dr. Joshua D. Zuckerman offers expert facial fat grafting injections. Facial fat grafting involves harvesting fat from areas like the abdomen, thighs, or hips and injecting it into areas of the face that have lost volume due to aging, weight loss, or other factors.
Benefits of Facial Fat Grafting
- Natural Results: Uses the patient's own body fat, ensuring the results blend seamlessly with natural facial features.
- Improved Skin Quality: The transferred fat contains growth factors that can improve the skin's texture and tone.
- Long - Lasting: Unlike synthetic fillers, the results can last for several years.
- Dual Benefit: Reduces unwanted fat in donor areas while enhancing facial contours.
Procedure and Recovery
The procedure begins with a consultation where Dr. Zuckerman assesses the patient's facial structure, skin quality, and aesthetic goals. The actual procedure is performed under local anesthesia, often combined with sedation. Fat is harvested, purified, and then injected into the target areas of the face. Recovery is relatively quick, with most patients experiencing mild swelling and bruising at both the donor and injection sites that resolve within a week or two. Patients can usually return to normal activities shortly after the procedure with some minor restrictions.
Dr. Steven Wallach
Comprehensive Fat Transfer
Dr. Steven Wallach offers fat transfer procedures for the face, breasts, buttocks, and hands for scar revision, enhancement, and rejuvenation. Patients opt for his fat grafting because it is a natural option, using the patient's own fat cells, which reduces the risk of allergic reactions or rejection and can provide longer - lasting results than dermal fillers.
Treatment Areas and Techniques
- Facial Fat Transfer: Dr. Wallach uses local anesthesia to numb the area before making small incisions around targeted facial areas such as the cheeks, nasolabial folds, marionette lines, sunken eyes, temples, forehead, and jawline. The purified fat is carefully injected using a small needle, paying close attention to the patient's natural facial contours.
- Body Fat Transfer: Can be performed under local or general anesthesia for areas like the breasts, buttocks (Brazilian Butt Lift), hands, and for improving the appearance of scars. Dr. Wallach transfers around 30% more fat than desired due to natural resorption during healing and strategically injects the fat in multiple layers for a smooth and natural - looking result.
Recovery and Results
Recovery after fat transfer varies depending on the treated area and the amount of fat transferred. Patients can expect swelling, bruising, and discomfort in the treated area for the first few days. Strenuous activities and exercise should be avoided for at least two to three weeks. The results of fat transfer are natural - looking and long - lasting, with a noticeable volume increase and improved contouring in the treated areas, and a slimming effect on the donor area.
Comparing Different Facilities
| Hospital/Surgeon | Specialties | Benefits | Patient Criteria | Recovery Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Surgical Arts (Dr. Gordon Andan) | Breast, buttock fat transfer, fat grafting for scars | Precise contouring, minimal invasiveness, natural - looking results | Good health, excess fat, realistic expectations, non - smoker | A few days to a week for swelling and tenderness to resolve |
| Leonard Grossman MD | Full - body fat grafting for augmentation and rejuvenation | No scars, little pain, no infection risk, immediate results | Those seeking various aesthetic improvements with natural treatment | Can resume work immediately |
| Dr. Gerald Imber | Facial fat transfer | Natural filler, high fat survival rate, minimal downtime | Noticing facial wrinkles and folds, in good health | Most can resume daily routine in 24 hours |
| Luxurgery (Dr. Sachin Shridharani) | Body fat transfer to multiple areas | Versatile, customizable, permanent results | Healthy weight, sufficient body fat, non - smoker | Final results in 6 months - 1 year, initial change in days |
| Mount Sinai - New York | Autologous breast reconstruction (DIEP flap) | Single - procedure, natural tissue, lower rejection risk | Post - mastectomy patients, sufficient lower abdominal fat |
