NYC Fat Transfer

Body contouring can improve the silhouette by adding volume to key areas and removing excess fat in others.

What is a fat transfer?

A fat transfer, also known as fat grafting, is a plastic surgery procedure in which excess fat is harvested from one part of the body and reintroduced as an augmentation to another part of the body without the use of synthetic implants. Dr. Maman offers this procedure only for breast enhancement and for correction of contour deformities. Dr. Maman does NOT perform any fat grafting to the buttocks area or Brazilian Butt Lifts.

Dr. Daniel Y. Maman is pleased to offer the latest in state-of-the-art surgical fat transfer breast enhancement techniques to his patients in NYC.

How does fat transfer work?

Fat grafting is one of the oldest plastic surgery procedures, with the first known procedure performed in 1893. It took almost 100 years, however, for the fat grafting procedure to be widely used. It was not until technology for fat extraction, processing, and injection successfully reduced complications and began delivering more natural-looking results that fat transfers became common practice for a variety of face and body procedures.

Modern fat grafting procedures generally follow three steps:

  1. Liposuction is used to extract fat from the donor site
  2. Donor fat is processed and purified to remove any impurities
  3. Purified fat is inserted into the desired area of the body through a cannula or needle

Step 1: Extraction

Dr. Maman will inject a local anesthetic into the donor site you have chosen together and manually extract fatty (adipose) tissue using liposuction cannulas attached to a syringe.

Step 2: Purification

Harvested fat is then processed either in a centrifuge or a sterile saline solution to remove debris, fluid, and dead cells. This ensures that the adipose tissue used for the graft is healthy and will survive the process.

Step 3: Placement

Dr. Maman will place small droplets of your purified adipose tissue under your skin along your natural tissue planes. This process is repeated multiple times until the desired shape is achieved and there is a healthy grid of transplanted fat at the recipient site. This process is very precise, with fat tissue amounts measured in cubic centimeters (ccs). 

Where can fat be taken from?

Most people have plentiful fat pockets in areas that include the abdomen, waist, hips, and thighs. This has the double effect of improving the contour in problem areas while simultaneously restoring fullness to areas with lost volume.

Where can fat be placed?

Fat grafting has a wide variety of applications and the amount of fat needed for each application can vary greatly for each patient. Here is what can be expected with each application:

Face (10cc–100cc, total)

  • Restores youthful appearance by adding volume to hollowed-out or wrinkled areas such as the area below the eye and the nasolabial folds
  • Helps repair scars
  • Adds volume to the cheeks to create the appearance of higher cheekbones
  • Improves the texture and appearance of the skin

Breast (25cc–400cc, each breast)

  • Increases the breast size by one or two cup sizes
  • Corrects breast asymmetry
  • Repairs radiation tissue damage and can treat breast implant capsular contractures
  • Helps correct scar deformities from lumpectomy or breast augmentation and reconstruction

Note that due to concerns about the safety and efficacy of other types of fat transfer surgery, Dr. Maman only performs fat transfer procedures for breast enhancement. For further inquiry, contact us to request a consultation.

The Procedure

We make sure you have the information you need to feel informed about your decision, from your inquiry about our practice through the consultation and recovery.

Consultation

The first step is a thorough, collaborative consultation. Before surgery, we provide:

  • 60- to 90-minute in-depth initial consultations with a complete medical history review and physical assessment by Dr. Maman
  • Multiple pre-op visits to answer all your questions 
  • Specialized surgery coordinators to help you navigate scheduling, financial, and insurance processes

Surgery

Once you have decided to move forward with surgery, we emphasize convenience, comfort, and a smooth recovery. This includes:

  • Convenient NYC operating facilities 
  • Luxury recovery room options at NYC hotels 
  • Complimentary, custom post-operative support garments and scar-treatment regimens 
  • Attentive and routine aftercare visits

Personalized, Holistic Patient-Centered Approach

Understanding each patient’s personal and clinical needs is central to our practice. We customize treatment plans for each patient, and each patient receives Dr. Maman’s personal contact information along with direct round-the-clock access to our nurse and surgical coordinator.

“I was a bit nervous prior to the surgery but Dr. Maman and his staff constantly reassured me. What stands out the most to me was Dr. Maman spent a lot of time listening and understanding exactly what I wanted to achieve.”

Results and Recovery

Our priority is to provide the highest degree of comfort for our patients throughout their fat transfer procedure and recovery. 

We schedule multiple pre-op appointments to make sure that our patients are fully informed and know exactly what to expect from the procedure. We also stay in close contact during the pre-op period in order to ensure that each patient receives prompt and personalized care.

Once surgery is complete, local patients have the option to recover at home in NYC or in one of our luxury recovery rooms located in select hotels in the city. Recovery timelines vary depending on procedure, and our thorough aftercare options ensure optimized recovery and results.

For more information, read our FAQs below.

See our results. Contact us to find the right approach for you. 

Meet Dr. Daniel Y. Maman, Board-Certified NYC Plastic Surgeon

Dr. Maman completed a Harvard fellowship in aesthetic breast surgery as well as a 6-year plastic surgery residency at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He has appeared on The New York Times Top Doctors and Super Doctors in Plastic Surgery lists.

Dr. Maman is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Whether your reasons for breast augmentation surgery are personal, clinical, or both, you deserve an experienced surgeon who is a partner in your care.

Contact us today to request a consultation.

Fat Transfer FAQs

How much do you charge for a fat transfer surgery?

The price for fat transfer surgery is wholly dependent on the volume and locations required to achieve the result you are after and if you are combining your fat transfer with another procedure. As a result, we customize treatment plans for each patient. After your initial consultation with Dr. Maman, our specialized surgical coordinators will provide you with an itemized price quote.

Am I a good candidate for fat transfer surgery?

Although meeting with Dr. Maman is the best way to determine if you are a good candidate for a fat transfer procedure, patients who are generally healthy non-smokers and have an adequate amount of fat for harvesting are the best candidates. 

If you are considering a fat transfer procedure, it is important you understand that it may take more than one session to fully realize the result you desire because it is common for some fat not to survive the transfer process.

Will my fat transfer be permanent?

Transferred fat cells do best when placed in an area with good blood supply. But even with excellent vascularization, not all transplanted fat cells will survive the process. If 50-60% of the cells survive (which is what we expect), your fat transfer will be permanent. Dramatic changes in weight can reduce the effectiveness of your results.

Where will my surgery be performed? How long does fat transfer surgery take?

Dr. Maman usually performs fat transfer surgeries at an in-office, AAAASF-certified facility or an outpatient ambulatory surgery center (ASC). He also has operating privileges at Mount Sinai Hospital, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York Eye & Ear Infirmary, and Englewood Hospital. We work with you to select the best facility for your needs.

How long your fat transfer surgery will take depends on how much of a change you are hoping for. Surgery for small areas can take as little as one hour, but large grafts can take as long as four to five hours. If you are combining your augmentation with a face or brow lift, rhinoplasty, or other facial surgery, your time in the operating room will be longer. When general anesthesia is employed, Dr. Maman uses the services of a board-certified anesthesiologist.

Can I combine my fat transfer surgery with other surgical procedures?

While it depends on what type of procedures you are hoping to combine, the answer is generally yes. Combining procedures can minimize overall recovery time and reduce costs. Dr. Maman works with you to find the best way to achieve your aesthetic goals with the least amount of operating time so you can get back to living your life.

Will I have visible scars after my surgery?

Because fat transfer procedures are generally done using small needles or cannulas, you will likely have minimal scarring, if any at all. This is especially true if you follow Dr. Maman’s scar treatment protocols.

How long does recovery take?

The amount of time you will need to recover after a fat transfer procedure depends on how large the field of transfer is. Regardless, you can expect bruising and swelling to last between one and three weeks. You should avoid exercising until your bruising and swelling subside. How well patients tolerate the discomfort from a fat transfer varies, but most patients end up taking three to five days off of work.

Will the surgery require follow-up visits?

Because we value our patients’ health and satisfaction above everything else, we do not charge for post-operative visits, whether they are part of your detailed follow-up plan during the first year after surgery or the annual visits that we recommend to ensure your final results are maintained.

Request A Consultation

Call Today 212.920.6800

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Maman or to get more information, kindly submit your details using the adjacent form and a member of our patient concierge team will promptly be in touch. We look forward to welcoming you to Maman Plastic Surgery.

1100 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10128

**This form is not HIPAA-compliant. Please do not share sensitive medical information as part of your written inquiry.