• Breast Implant

    Silicone implants have been employed for a while now in plastic surgery such as breast augmentation and buttock enhancement. Currently, fat grafting in lieu of implants is slowly taking the center stage. Fat transfer is nothing new in cosmetic surgery though. It has long been used in filling in hollowed cheeks and pitted scars. At our practice, fat grafting is now in demand for breast augmentation and buttock enhancement too.

    What is fat grafting?

    In a nutshell, fat grafting refers to using your own fat in one part of the body to augment or improve the appearance of other areas in the body. The harvested fat is consequently spun, filtered and purified through a centrifuge.

    Who is the ideal candidate of fat grafting?

    Like all types of surgery, anyone considering fat grafting should be physically healthy and free from health issues that could possibly hinder healing or increase the patient’s risk for post-surgical complications such as pneumonia and infection. In addition, there should be sufficient amounts of fat to successfully augment a body part.

    Quitting smoking weeks prior to surgery is also advised because cigarette smoke can significantly slow down healing. Lastly, having realistic expectations of the procedure is a must.

    Which cosmetic procedures employ fat grafting?

    Fat injections may be used in the following cosmetic procedures/ treatments:

    • Facial fat transfer – Fat fillers can fill in laugh lines and hollowed tear troughs. Acne scars can benefit from fat transfer too.
    • Breast enhancement – Women can choose to improve the size and shape of their breasts via fat injections alone or decide to combine fat transfer with breast implants. In some cases, fat is also used in breast reconstruction after lumpectomy (removal of a portion of the breast) or mastectomy (removal of the entire breast).
    • Buttock augmentation – This procedure is also known as the Brazilian butt lift and has soared in popularity for the past year or so among women who desire bigger, fuller, and firmer buttocks.
    • Hand rejuvenation – Hands with prominent tendons and veins due to advancing age can also benefit from fat transfer.

    For more information on the aforementioned fat grafting procedures, call 415.398.7778 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Mosser today!

     

  • Botox

    Patient education is one of Dr. Mosser’s priorities in his San Francisco plastic surgery practice. We have noticed over the years that a well-informed patient is most likely to be satisfied with the outcomes of surgery than those who didn’t take the time to ask questions and carefully evaluate their plastic surgery options.

    Like all types of cosmetic surgery, a Brazilian butt lift has its own cluster of risks and possible complications too. Yet with the right combination of surgeon’s skills and the patient’s physical readiness for the procedure, the best Brazilian butt lift results possible can be achieved.

    The Pros
    Buttock enhancement via fat transfer offers the advantage of natural-looking results in comparison to butt implants. Furthermore, there is no allergic reaction or any form of rejection because fat from your own body will be used. Also, since excess fat is harvested in other parts of the body, there is also the advantage of achieving more than just fuller and firmer buttocks but also a slimmer waistline, flanks or thighs.

    The Cons
    Sitting or any activity that applies direct pressure on the gluteal region should be avoided for roughly 3 to 4 weeks. If you sit sooner as recommended, there’s a huge chance that the fat grafts will not be properly absorbed by the body. Moreover, a Brazilian butt lift is not for everyone. Generally, there should be enough body fat to be harvested and transferred for buttock enhancement. Women with insufficient fat may choose to have implants.

    Planning for Your Brazilian Butt Lift with Dr. Mosser
    The soaring popularity of butt enhancement via fat transfer has unfortunately led to cases wherein the procedure is performed by inexperienced surgeons. If you’re thinking of having the procedure, finding a skilled practitioner like Dr. Mosser is crucial.

    Explore your buttock enhancement options at our practice by calling 415.398.7778 to set up an appointment with us today. We look forward to your visit!

  • Lip Augmentation Cost Costs vary depending on procedure. For Restylane, Perlane and Juvederm , the cost is $600 per syringe and usually the job can be done with one syringe alone.  For the first visit to the office, we offer a 20% discount to new filler patients. These fillers generally last four to five months.
    If the patient doesn’t want augmentation from fillers, there is a material called ‘hyaluronidase’ that can be used to dissolve it, which would be incur an additional fee.  For fat grafting, each session costs about $4,000 (this includes getting a bit of fat through liposuction, the surgeon’s fee and also the fees for the anesthesiologist and the operating room). Permanent augmentation options are also available, and vary by price.

    For more detailed information, please see my earlier post.

  • Lip Augmentation Options Lip augmentation is actually a pretty complex topic for what seems like a simple goal.  The reason is that most patients would love to have a permanent augmentation to the lips but often it would be either a major undertaking, or involve enough steps that in the end a filler would be simply a much easier way to go.

    For temporary lip augmentation, only one category of filler material is safe, which is a clear gel filler called hyaluronic acid.  The brand names in this category are Restylane, Perlane and Juvederm (there are some other minor players, but those are all of the major ones).  They last about 4-6 months for the most part in the lips.  There is a bit (a 3-5 on a scale of 1-10) of discomfort with injection, but they seem to be tolerated fine in the office.  Bruising happens in about 40-50% of patients and lasts about 3-5 days.  This costs $600 per syringe and usually the job can be done with 1 syringe alone.  For the first visit to the office, we offer a 20% discount to new filler patients.

    For permanent lip augmentation, none of the artificial permanent fillers (i.e. silicone or Artefill) or the permanent lip implants (a silicone tube or a saline-filled tube) are a good idea in any way.  The permanent fillers can harden over time and become a huge problem for the patient.  Lip implants can often be felt and they actually protrude through the skin over time so many of them have been removed from the market over the years.

    Filling the lips with one’s one tissues is really the only viable permanent option.  This is done with fat grafting.  The challenge here is that fat grafts tend to reabsorb in the face and therefore the patient and doctor have to decide if they want to do multiple smaller grafting procedures or one huge grafting procedure.  Each has significant disadvantages – multiple procedures are expensive since fat grafting has to be done in a sterile operating room setting, and a single large session of grafting results in grossly overfilled lips that look nothing short of ridiculous for several weeks to a few months until they settle down.  Each grafting session costs about $4,000 (this includes getting a bit of fat through liposuction, the surgeon’s fee and also the fees for the anesthesiologist and the operating room) so you can imagine that this gets expensive very quickly.  Multiple grafting sessions do cost extra fees, so it can get really expensive to get the job done.

    For lip fillers revisions are usually not necessary.  If there are minor irregularities, they can almost always be massaged out.  If the patient wishes to have more volume and we have already used the full syringe, then an additional fee for another syringe would apply.  If, for some reason, the patient simply doesn’t like the augmentation from fillers then there is actually a material called ‘hyaluronidase’ that can be used to dissolve it.  I haven’t ever had to do this with any of my injections to the lips but it’s nice to know there is a tool available for us for correction if we need it.

  • Fat Grafting Significant facial swelling can be seen for 1-2 weeks after your procedure.  A complete resolution of all swelling should be apparent at 2-3 months.  However true facial definition (such as in the thinner areas of the face) can take several months to completely reappear based on how long ago you had the grafting done, and how much fat was actually transplanted and survived.

    It’s best to consult your surgeon with any concerns as they will know exactly how much fat they grafted and if and when you should be worried.  Also, be sure the surgeon you choose for procedures such as fat grafting is Board Certified, experienced and performs fat grafting procedures regularly.

  • Fat Transfer The percentage of fat transfer that becomes permanent depends largely on the area grafted and the techniques used to graft it.  It can range from 20-40% in the face to 80% or more in the buttocks (such as with the Brazilian Butt lift) if the procedure for fat grafting is the ‘micro fat graft technique’

    However you will usually know within 4 months what your final results will look like. As with any procedure, discuss your goals with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon to decide the best course of action for your specific needs and choose a surgeon skilled in fat grafting procedures.

  • Fat Grafting With fat grafting, blood vessels from the injection site and blood vessels in the fat must re-establish blood flow via arteries and veins to survive and “take”.

    When this happens, final results can be permanent.  However if you’re looking for a temporary solution, you may want to consider dermal fillers, as the results of fat grafting can be difficult to predict.

    Regardless of the option chosen, the face does not swell enough from the procedure to permanently stretch the skin.  Make sure to discuss all options with your surgeon to be sure you’re picking the right one for you and make sure they are experienced with fillers and grafting.

  • Fat Grafting and Liposuction There are different techniques used by surgeons when harvesting fat, and the ultimate goal is to keep the cells alive and to isolate the fat cells so that their opportunity for survival in the new location is at its peak.

    However, while there are different techniques used, when it comes to location to harvest fat, anywhere that the fat is abundant is usually fine.  Often patients will combine liposuction to remove unwanted fat, with fat grafting to use the fat elsewhere with success.

    Interestingly, the fat will keep its same weight gain characteristics as the donor site, no matter where you put it as a graft.  What this means is that if your body is prone to store fat in the abdomen and a great deal of this fat is used as a graft on your face, then the grafted area of your face can gain weight disproportionately with the rest of your face.  However, if the grafted fat is going into the buttocks such as with a Brazilian Butt Lift, then the weight gain might actually compliment your figure even more.