Have you ever wished you could take fat from one area of your body where you don’t necessarily want it and use that fat to fill out other features? It sounds too good to be true, but your wish can become a reality with a Chicago fat transfer.
Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Florence Mussat offers autologous fat transfer, more commonly known as fat transfer or fat grafting, as a safe way to sculpt areas of your body and use that extracted fat to enhance other areas of your body or face. Read on to learn more about what to expect from a fat transfer with Dr. Mussat, including how long it will take for the newly transferred fat to settle so you can show off your beautiful new look.
How Is Fat Transfer Performed?
A fat transfer is generally performed under local anesthesia for the donor and injection sites. Once the donor site is thoroughly numb, Dr. Mussat will create small incisions and use liposuction to extract the unwanted fat from the area. The fat will then undergo a purification process where it’s cleansed and prepared for injection into the secondary location. Finally, using a method similar to Botox® or dermal filler injections, Dr. Muffat will inject the purified fat into the area you’d like to enhance.
Depending on the area being treated, an appointment can be completed in about an hour. Most procedures are outpatient, meaning you can go about your day with little discomfort or downtime. Most patients experience mild bruising and swelling in the donor and injection sites, which can be easily managed with over-the-counter pain medication. Dr. Mussat will schedule a follow-up appointment to ensure you’re healing well.
What Areas Can Be Treated with Fat Transfer?
Virtually anywhere on the body where you have stubborn, unwanted fat can be used as the donor site. Common areas to be injected include:
Cheek hollows
Frown lines
Deep wrinkles
Areas with certain types of scarring
Lips and areas around the mouth
Under the eyes
How Long Does the Donor Fat Take to Settle?
Patients undergoing a fat transfer should keep in mind that it takes some time for the transferred fat cells to establish a healthy blood supply and settle into their new location. Additionally, a fraction of the fat cells will not survive the transfer, though Dr. Mussat considers this when deciding how much fat to include in the transfer.
On average, patients can expect to see their final results in about four to six weeks, at which time the majority of swelling will have resolved, and the fat cells will have settled into their new location. During a fat transfer recovery, it’s important to avoid putting pressure on the newly transferred cells, as this can prevent them from creating a healthy blood supply.
How Long Do Fat Transfer Results Last?
The final fat transfer results are considered permanent since the injectable solution is a natural part of your body compared to a foreign substance, such as Botox® or dermal fillers. The same is true for the donor site. Once the fat cells are removed, the body cannot create new fat cells to replace them, meaning the donor site will permanently have fewer fat cells in that area.
Learn More About Chicago Fat Transfer with Dr. Mussat
If you’re interested in a fat transfer procedure, it’s important to choose an experienced cosmetic plastic surgeon. Contouring delicate areas of the body involves artistry, skill, and extensive knowledge to ensure you receive the desired results.
If you have questions about whether a fat transfer procedure is right for you, or if you’d like to schedule your consultation, please contact Dr. Florence Mussat at (312) 751-9000 or by completing our convenient contact form today.
In the United States, almost 300,000 women choose breast augmentation surgery annually. Interestingly, there is also a consistent increase in women wanting to have their implants removed. Last year, nearly 25,000 women opted for breast explant surgery.
There are many reasons for this decision, ranging from personal preference to medical complications. If you are considering breast explant surgery in Chicago, know you are not alone. This article will outline why many women have chosen to get their implants removed.
Unsatisfied With Original Outcome
Some people end up disappointed with their breast augmentation results – perhaps due to factors like a lack of surgical skill or choosing the wrong implant shape or size for your frame. Unfortunately, the outcomes of your original augmentation surgery might look unnatural or differ widely from your expectations.
To avoid this problem, choose a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in breast surgery. Dr. Mussat will discuss your goals in detail before any type of breast surgery. For example, you may wish to undergo breast implant removal and a breast lift to achieve your ideal look.
New Lifestyle Priorities
Maybe you got your original breast augmentation when you were younger, and you’re now in a different phase of your life where larger breasts are no longer your aesthetic ideal. If your enhanced breasts have become uncomfortable or are preventing you from doing things like pursuing your fitness goals, explant surgery could be a wise decision for you.
Breast Appearance Changes
Just like natural breasts, surgically enhanced breasts may change shape, size, and appearance over time. This phenomenon may cause asymmetry or sagging. Choosing breast implant removal, with or without replacement, can enhance your chest appearance.
Your body has probably changed since your initial breast augmentation, which can result in an imbalance between your breast size and body frame. Examples of life events that can affect your figure are pregnancy, significant weight fluctuations, or hormonal changes with aging. Combining breast explant surgery with other procedures to enhance your breast contour can bring your body and chest into a harmonious shape and figure.
Breast Implant Complications
Though breast augmentation complications are rare, they’re not impossible. Some of these issues are severe enough to make implant removal a medical necessity. One example is capsular contracture, or a painful tightening of scar tissue caused by your immune system’s response to the implant.
If this problem occurs, an explant procedure can bring you relief. Other complications include implant rupture, leakage, displacement, or deflation.
Replacing Older Implants
Today’s breast implants are long-lasting, safe medical devices. Still, they will likely need replacement eventually. After your breast implant surgery, your surgeon should have informed you about their estimated lifespan. When it’s time to replace your implants, you’ll need to have the old ones removed first.
Choosing Your Breast Explant Surgeon
Selecting a board-certified and highly skilled surgeon for your breast implant removal is essential. Depending on your situation, other surgeries like a breast lift could benefit you after breast explant surgery. Dr. Mussat understands the different factors that may affect your procedure.
When considering plastic surgery for aesthetic enhancement, being at a healthy weight is crucial. Whether your procedure is for facial rejuvenation or body contouring, your weight should be stable and within a few pounds of what’s ideal for your height, body type, and gender.
Don’t believe the myth that plastic surgery will help you shed a dramatic amount of weight. For safety reasons, there are limits to how much body fat a qualified surgeon will remove, even when performing procedures like liposuction. Instead, your physician may insist you lose a specified amount of weight before considering your candidacy. So, let’s look at how to lose the weight necessary before surgery and why It’s essential.
3 Simple Ways You Can Lose Weight Before Surgery
If your BMI exceeds 30, Dr. Mussat may instruct you to lose weight before scheduling plastic surgery. While doing so might seem overwhelming, it is possible with a few adjustments to your current lifestyle.
1. Develop a Healthy Diet and Exercise Routine
Let’s face it – fad diets don’t work. These typically demand imposing unhealthy, unrealistic restrictions on yourself, such as cutting out entire food groups that deprive your body of the essential energy and nutrients it needs to function. Though you may experience rapid weight loss, you can also weaken your immune system and put yourself through unnecessary stress.
Instead of putting yourself on a strict diet, change your lifestyle. Start eating lean proteins, fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains instead of processed foods. At the supermarket, keep your cart on the perimeter and avoid the aisles, which is where you’ll find all the foods that are full of excess sugar, sodium, and refined flour.
Also, implement a daily exercise routine you can stick to, including activities that don’t feel like a chore. Simple workouts like cardio and yoga help ease into a healthy routine.
2. Download Apps on Your Mobile Device
To stay more motivated, look for a mobile app with a built-in reward system to keep yourself accountable. Plenty of free fitness and nutrition apps will teach you the correct form to do various exercises and track your food intake, so you can make better choices. Many of these apps help you develop goals and enable you to reach your ideal weight before surgery.
3. Maintain a Support System
Ultimately, the decision to undergo aesthetic surgery is profoundly personal. However, having a support system with your family and friends is an excellent way to start your journey. You can also join a support group on social media.
The Importance of Pre-Surgery Weight Loss
Significantly overweight people are at a higher risk of life-threatening complications during and after surgery. Here are three health-related problems linked to obesity.
1. Poor Wound Healing
Your incisions require a healthy supply of blood and oxygen to correctly heal after surgery. Excess fat puts too much stress on your circulatory system, depriving you of essential nutrients for your recovery.
Excess fatty tissue may increase the time you spend in the operating room and the risk of infection, which may require revision surgery or more time in the hospital.
2. Anesthesia Complications
Excess fatty tissue makes it harder for your anesthesiologist to safely sedate you before surgery. They may have difficulty finding veins to use to deliver the anesthesia. Obesity can also make it harder to figure out the correct dosage.
3. Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Issues
If you are significantly overweight, your heart works harder to provide the blood and oxygen your body needs to survive. During surgery, the added stress of performing incisions and administering anesthesia increases your chances of experiencing a heart attack, stroke, angina, and high blood pressure. Obesity also elevates your risk of developing a blood clot that can enter your lungs.
Divorce can be a traumatic experience, upsetting the order of your world and shaking your self-esteem and self-confidence. That may be why many women — and men — seek plastic surgery after going through a divorce. Cosmetic treatment is a way to indulge yourself and boost your sense of self-worth.
Plastic surgery can make you look younger, fitter, and more attractive. But, equally important, it can make you feel better about yourself. That emotional lift can help you recover from the pain of divorce and take positive steps toward your next phase of life.
In this article, we’ll share the most popular plastic surgery procedures after divorce. Depending on your age and what parts of your body or face cause you to doubt your physical appeal, you may have other procedures in mind.
Liposuction
Liposuction is a body-contouring procedure to remove stubborn pockets of fat that remain even after rigorous dieting and exercise. It’s considered minimally invasive surgery because only small incisions are used to insert fine suction tubes, or cannulas, to extract the fat. Liposuction can help you regain trimmer and more youthful body contours after the weight gain that accompanies the natural aging process. It’s a great way to spruce up your body and increase your self-confidence.
Eyelid Lift or Facelift
Drooping eyelids can make you look older than you are and more tired than you feel. An eyelid lift, or blepharoplasty, restores an alert, younger look to your face. Most people won’t guess you’ve had surgery; they’ll just think you look better rested and healthier.
An eyelid lift is often combined with a facelift for more significant facial rejuvenation. Today’s facelifts beautify the face by raising and repositioning skin, fat, and underlying connective tissues. The results are often subtle, amazing, and natural-looking.
Tummy Tuck
A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, tightens abdominal muscles and removes loose skin and excess fat to give you a firm, flat, and smooth midsection. It’s a wonderful confidence-boosting procedure after divorce, restoring your body’s younger and fitter look. It can also improve your posture and eliminate back pain by strengthening and rebalancing your core.
Mommy Makeover
A mommy makeover is a combination of plastic surgery procedures, most often including a tummy tuck and other procedures like liposuction, a breast lift, or a facelift. The specific combination of procedures is tailored to your individual needs. Many women who have a mommy makeover after divorce had considered the surgery before and the end of the marriage may provide the extra push to move ahead with it. One motivation is to make themselves more attractive as they re-enter the dating pool. Another is to feel more confident about themselves as they face a new future.
Do It for Yourself
Emotions can be high in the immediate aftermath of divorce, and your feelings about yourself can be low. It’s best to wait until you’ve weathered the worst of that storm before deciding to have plastic surgery. Approach plastic surgery as an investment in yourself, and do your best to separate it from the pain of your immediate past.
When you’re ready to think clearly about your future and who you want to be going forward, schedule a consultation with a top-quality plastic surgeon — a doctor who is board-certified and has skill and experience in the procedures you are considering. Find a plastic surgeon who takes the time to listen to you and who can advise you on the methods that will best meet your needs.
Schedule a Consultation in Chicago
Dr. Florence Mussat is a board-certified plastic surgeon in downtown Chicago with extensive experience in facial and body contouring procedures. Call our office at (312) 751-9000 or contact us online to schedule a personal consultation today.
Divorce can be a traumatic experience, upsetting the order of your world and shaking your self-esteem and self-confidence. That may be why many women — and men — seek plastic surgery after going through a divorce. Cosmetic treatment is a way to indulge yourself and boost your sense of self-worth.