Body Surgery

Fat Transfer to Body & Buttocks

at Cadogan Clinic, London’s Leading Cosmetic Surgery Specialists. 

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Award Winning Specialist Clinic

We've won 12 top industry awards since 2010 and regularly feature in the national and international press.

Industry Leading Consultants

We've invited only the very best consultants in the country to practice with us.

Care Quality Commission

Our Leadership has been rated Outstanding by the independent regulator of health and social care in England

GMC Registered Surgeons

All of our surgeons are registered with the General Medical Council.

Medically Reviewed December 2023, by Mr. Bryan Mayou (GMC: 1414396) - founder of the Cadogan Clinic and one of the world's leading plastic surgeons

What is Fat Transfer to Body?

Fat transfer surgery, also known as a fat grafting or lipofilling, is a surgical procedure which involves removing unwanted fat using liposuction, treating it, and reinjecting it into areas of the body which have lost volume or lift through ageing, pregnancy and childbirth or dramatic weight loss.

Excess or unwanted fat is removed from areas such as the stomach, flanks or thighs, to be transferred to areas such as the breasts, buttocks or hips, via injection. This restores youthful volume to areas of the body which have lost shape or have sagged over time. Fat grafting also encourages blood circulation, resulting in healthier overlying skin which further enhances the final results. Fat transfer treatment does not involve implants or fillers, and produces a natural result.

Cadogan Clinic in London are leaders in this innovative field, and we host the leading conference in the UK on Fat Grafting each year. Our surgeons perform thousands of fat transfer surgeries each year and have also shaped the official guidance surrounding the area of fat grafting throughout the UK and the world. Our fat transfer before and after photos showcase this skill.

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Fat Transfer to Body
At a glance

Surgery Time

1 - 2 hours

Time off work

1 week (if needed)

Hospital Stay

Day Case

Shower

After 1 day

Reasonable Mobility

Immediately

Exercise

4 - 6 weeks

Bras & Garments

4 - 6 months

Sexual Activity

2 weeks

Sleeping on back

2 weeks

Full Recovery

2 weeks

Driving

1 week


Why do people have fat transfer to body and buttocks?

Fat transfer is a safe and highly effective surgical procedure which enhances volume in areas of the body through combining Liposuction and fat injection. By utilising these transformative techniques the overall results are enhanced.

As well as reintroducing volume to areas of the body that have lost tone over time, through ageing, weight loss or pregnancy and childbirth. Fat transfer can also be used to treat textured scarring caused by conditions such as acne, or to restore areas of the body following treatment for cancer such as lumpectomy.

Fat transfer surgery will restore bodily contours using natural techniques, resulting in a smooth and balanced physique, in proportion to your overall body.

 

A quick breakdown:

  • Body contouring - Fat grafting can smooth and add contours to other parts of the body, such as the hips, highlighting or restoring feminine curves.
  • Treating the signs of ageing on the body - Not only used to enhance, this surgery can also restore structure and curves to ageing skin that may have lost volume over time with age, considerable weight loss, or after pregnancy.
  • Treating skin deformities - Fat grafting is often used to help treat skin deformities such as scleroderma, a condition that results in hard, thickened areas of skin, or facial deformities such as hemifacial atrophy. 
  • Improving the appearance of scars - Fat grafting improves skin quality and contour irregularities. Therefore scarred skin, including acne-damaged skin, will benefit from this procedure. Fat grafting is also used to fill any depressions in the skin created by liposuction or cancer surgery.

Who is suitable for fat grafting?

During your bespoke consultation, your surgeon will assess whether you are suitable for fat transfer surgery.

Your surgeon will perform an examination of the areas you want to have fat extracted from and transferred to. They will discuss your desired results and explain what you can achieve from fat transfer surgery. They will perform a general health and wellness check, to assess your suitability for a procedure under general anaesthetic or sedation. Your surgeon will cover your medical history, as well as any conditions you currently have. You will also have a pre-operative assessment to record your height, weight and blood pressure.

 

You must fit the following to be suitable for fat transfer surgery:

  • You are over the age of 18.
  • You are in good psychological and physical medical health
  • You are at your ideal body weight and are not planning on conceiving soon.
  • You have realistic expectations of what can be achieved via surgery
  • You are seeking to improve the contours of your body via a combination of both liposuction and volume enhancement 
  • You are seeking to rejuvenate the appearance of your overlying skin 
  • You are looking for longer lasting results that can be achieved by non-surgical injectable dermal fillers 
  • You are seeking augmentation that is more natural and does not involve the use of implants in the face, breasts, or buttocks

Words from our clients:


The cost of Fat Transfer to Body

Cadogan Clinic has collaborated with Chrysalis Finance to offer a variety of payment choices for our patients including:
12 months 0% Interest-free - APR
24 - 60 months at 12.9% APR
Flexible Finance

Get in touch now to get a price.

Get in touch 0207 901 8500

Included in this treatment

Up to two 60 minute consultations with a leading specialist plastic surgeon at our award-winning premises in Chelsea

Your procedure carried out at London’s leading specialist cosmetic surgery centre of excellence

24/7 on call nurse assistance

Dedicated Patient Co-ordinator, as a personal point of contact through your journey with Cadogan

A pre-operative medical assessment to ensure you are fit for surgery

Comprehensive post-operative aftercare courtesy of our specialist cosmetic nurses


What areas of the body can be treated with fat transfer?

Many areas of the body can be enhanced using Fat Grafting techniques. Cadogan Clinic are leaders in this area of surgery and our surgeons will be able to explain every option available to you in your consultation.

Fat transfer to the face is a very popular procedure, and is often combined with surgeries such as face lift, neck lift, or blepharoplasty. Facial areas that can be treated include the lips, cheeks, under the eyes and brows. Ageing causes the breakdown of collagen and elastin in the skin, which shows as loss of volume and sagging. These signs of ageing often first appear in the face resulting in patients feeling they look sad or unapproachable.

Fat transfer to the breasts, also known as a natural breast augmentation, restores volume to the breasts which may have been lost through ageing, weight loss or breastfeeding without using implants. Fat transfer techniques can also be combined with stem cell treatments to rebuild areas of the breasts which have been lost through cancer treatments such as lumpectomy.

Ageing and sun exposure causes the skin on our hands to get thinner, and the bone structure and veins to become more visible. It is common for people to focus on anti-ageing treatments for the face while neglecting their hands. Fat Transfer to Hands restores the volume to the skin, creating a youthful appearance, more in line with the rest of your appearance.

Fat transfer to buttocks (also known as BBL surgery) is a popular procedure to increase volume in the buttocks while enhancing the contours of the waist and hips. Ageing, weight loss and childbirth can all cause the buttocks to sag and lose definition. Fat transfer techniques can improve these concerns resulting in more lifted and rounded buttocks.

What does the fat transfer procedure involve?

Fat Transfer surgery can typically be broken down into three stages:

First, liposuction is used to take unwanted fat from a donor area, typically the abdomen, thighs or the back. Small incisions are made in the skin before a specialist liposuction cannula is inserted to remove the fat. Depending on the area of the body being treated, your surgeon may recommend either local anaesthetic so the surgical area is numbed but you are awake, or under general anaesthetic so you are completely asleep.

After the fat has been extracted, special equipment is used to eliminate any impurities, preparing the fat to be reintroduced to the body. 

Finally, the fat is re-injected into the body. There is a limit as to how much fat can be injected into the body in one procedure and more than one session may be required to produce the desired results.


Fat Transfer Surgeons

We have invited a selection of the country's very best consultants to join us at the Cadogan Clinic so that you can be sure that whatever the nature of your treatment, you will be seeing one of the top practitioners in the country.

What to expect

Below you will find some key information to help you prepare for surgery and make necessary arrangements to ensure you have the support you need and that everything runs smoothly on the day.

Your dedicated patient advisor will speak with you on the phone and answer any initial questions you have. They will then organise for up to two 60 minute, in person consultations with the surgeon they have recommended for you. Your patient advisor will suggest preparing for your consultation by writing any questions you have down, so you are able to get the most from your consultation.

Your surgeon will show you some before and after photos of previous patients they have treated who they feel are similar to you, to show you the results you can expect. They will also take your measurements and photos for your medical records.

After your consultation, your surgeon will write your surgical plan and send it through to your patient advisor. Your advisor will then contact you to explain the options your surgeon has suggested, as well as the pricing and available dates. You will then have a compulsory two week cooling off period to consider whether you would like to proceed with surgery.

Within this period you are welcome to come in and discuss your potential surgery with your surgeon as many times as you like.

 In your consultation, your surgeon will explain the steps you will need to follow to prepare for your surgery. You will be sent a reminder of this information by email when your surgery is booked:

  • When your surgery is booked, you will be sent a medical and psychological questionnaire to complete. These will be reviewed by your surgeon and anaesthetist to confirm you are ready for your procedure.
  • Your surgeon will ask you to stop smoking and vaping for six weeks before surgery can take place. Smoking inhibits the oxygen supply to your body’s tissues and can seriously impact your healing and recovery
  • For 48 hours before your surgery, you can’t drink any alcohol. Alcohol causes inflammation which will slow your recovery.
  • For 7 days before your procedure, you must stop taking any anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen and aspirin. Your surgeon and anaesthetist may also ask you to stop taking certain supplements. These medications and supplements can increase your risk of bleeding.
  • A family member or friend must come and collect you after your surgery. They need to be able to accompany you in a taxi or drive you themselves, before staying with you overnight.
  • For all general anaesthetic and sedation procedures you will be asked fast before you arrive at the clinic. In the 6 hours before you arrive, you shouldn’t consume any solid food, juice or milk (including tea or coffee). In the 2 hours before you arrive you can have sips of clear liquids (water, or black tea and coffee).

You will be asked to arrive at the clinic an hour before your surgery is scheduled to begin. You will be greeted by our nursing team, who will perform some pre-operative checks, and ask you to put on a surgical gown and compression socks ready for your procedure. You will then speak with your surgeon and anaesthetist who will be able to answer any questions, before making any markings needed for surgery.

When you are taken into theatre, your anaesthetist will administer your general anaesthetic so you are asleep for your surgery. At Cadogan Clinic we only use Total Intravenous Anaesthesia (TIVA) which has fewer instances of nausea after surgery.

Once your procedure is finished, you will wake up in our recovery ward, where a nurse will monitor your vital health signs. You will then be transferred to the ambulatory ward. You will have something to eat and drink and when you are ready you will get dressed and get ready to be discharged. The nurses will explain any aftercare you need to be aware of in the first few days of recovery, as well as any medications your surgeon or anaesthetist have prescribed for you.

It is normal to experience some swelling and bruising in the first few days of your recovery. You should be mobile within 1-2 days and able to shower normally after 3 days.

Your surgeon will ask you to wear a compression garment for up to 8 weeks after your surgery. Depending on the fat grafting procedure you have undergone, the garments will cover your surgical sites to assist with your healing and reduce the swelling. You may also be asked to adjust your sleeping positions to prevent putting pressure on the surgical sites.

You will have two follow up appointments after your surgery. The first will be with our nurses, a week after your surgery. They will examine your dressings and assess your healing. Six weeks after your surgery, you will meet with your surgeon to assess your final results and discuss your ongoing recovery. If you have any questions after your six week appointment, you will still be able to contact our nurses and your patient advisor with any questions you have.

The Patient Journey. A breakdown of what you can expect on your journey with us

We are deeply invested in ensuring that every step of your surgical journey with us is as informative and reassuring to you as it can be. This article outlines what you can expect at each stage of the journey

The Patient Journey

Frequently Asked Questions

After your surgery, you will be asked to come in for a post-operative appointment to come back and see our nursing staff at the clinic between 1 and 2 weeks after your surgery. At this point, your incision sites will be reviewed, and your preliminary healing will be assessed.

After 6 weeks your surgeon will personally review your progress – again at the clinic - and make sure you are recovering as expected. In addition, they will remove any stitches and advise you on the need for further dressings.

Throughout the recovery period, you will have full access to our 24/7 on-call nursing service, and full access to the Clinic and our post-operative facilities.

Our aim is to make you feel as comfortable as possible during the entirety of your recovery period.

As your anaesthetic or sedation wears off you will wake up in our recovery facilities at the clinic. You may feel a little drowsy but this often wears off within a few hours. After several hours in recovery, you will eat and hydrate. At that point, you will be allowed to leave the clinic by our nursing staff.

It is common to feel a little pain and discomfort in the immediate aftermath of surgery. This will wear off in due course. Our 24/7 on-call service is open to all patients for any question or query they may have at this time.

You will not be able to drive yourself home after the surgery. You should arrange for someone to pick you up and take you home. In addition, you will need to ask someone to stay with you for the first 24 hours after your procedure.

One of the major benefits of fat transfer is that recovery is typically very swift and patients can be back at work and active very shortly after the procedure. Whilst the extent of such activity should be gradually phased in, you should be back at work within a week and exercising within two weeks.

We always advise that you return to low impact activities first like walking and cycling before you are able to reintroduce more strenuous activities such as lifting heavy weights and doing intense aerobic activities.

Fat transfer is a straightforward and minimally invasive procedure that is carried out as a day case. As a result, there is minimal downtime required with fat grafting.

Following the procedure, you will recover in our ambulatory recovery rooms for a couple of hours before being allowed to leave with a friend or family member.

We recommend you take a week off work if needed and avoid driving for one week. You can expect a full recovery from fat transfer in two weeks.

However, there are various activities you should refrain from in the weeks following a fat transfer procedure.

Sexual activity should be avoided for two weeks while exercise should be avoided for four to six weeks, post-surgery. We would advise starting with low impact exercises, such as walking and cycling, before reintroducing more strenuous exercise, such as weightlifting or aerobics.

Depending on which part of the body has been treated, you may have to wear a surgical garment for four to six months following your fat transfer.

It is vital that you follow all the aftercare advice issued to ensure the best possible results from surgery. If you try to do too much too soon, this may impact the healing process.

Your surgeon will discuss this with you in further detail at your consultation.

It can take a while for the final results of a fat transfer to emerge. This is because the new fat has to establish a blood supply. Once the non-viable fat has been reabsorbed into the body and the swelling has subsided, you can expect to see the results of the fat transfer somewhere between six and 12 weeks after the procedure.

However you can expect to see ongoing improvements as the healing process progresses. It can take between 12 and 18 months to see the ultimate result of a fat transfer. This can vary from person to person and depends on which parts of the body have been treated.

Fat transfer is permanent, although this new fat will eventually start to be affected by the ageing process.

Of all the fat that is reintroduced to the body, between 50 and 70 per cent of these fat cells will survive. If you require a further increase in volume, a fat transfer procedure can be repeated at three-monthly intervals to achieve the desired result.

Your surgeon will discuss this with you in further detail at your consultation.

Certain lifestyle factors can increase the risk of complications during and after your surgery. These include smoking, drinking alcohol, being overweight and taking drugs (for medical or recreational use.)

The most common impact of smoking before your surgery is that it increases your chances of developing an infection and inhibits your body's natural healing processes. We insist that all patients stop smoking and using nicotine products at least six weeks before surgery. Reducing alcohol intake is also strongly advised. This is particularly important for fat grafting surgery in which the fat's viability post-procedure is materially reduced in a smoker population.

Your doctor will discuss your current BMI and drug use at your consultation and advise you further on this.

Autologous fat transfer is a technical term for fat transfer surgery. Autologous fat transfer simply means that the organic fat material is harvested from the same individual into which it is transferred.

All fat transfer surgery techniques are therefore by definition autologous fat transfer procedures.

Not only is the fat relatively easy to harvest via liposuction, but the transferred fat is biocompatible, non-allergenic, non-toxic and relatively easy to obtain in meaningful volumes.

More recently, surgeons have used the therapeutic and rejuvenating benefits of fat grafting in the healing of wounds and scars, as well as fat's ability to repair damage to breast tissue following radiation treatment.

The rejuvenating effects are due to the high concentration of mesenchymal cells present in the fat tissue.

This natural 'autologous' resource is therefore readily accepted in the treatment area, is easily topped up and can provide additional rejuvenating benefits.


A state of the art, award winning clinic.

Founded in 2004 by world renowned plastic surgeon Mr Bryan Mayou, we now work with over 100 leading consultants and successfully treat over 20,000 patients each year. We have been winning industry awards since inception.

About Us

Best in Class Facilities

All of our treatments take place at our beautiful boutique premises in Chelsea. We have six consulting rooms and five operating rooms, as well as a dedicated pre and post-operative suite, and a full team of specialist nursing staff.

Our Clinic

A Strong Tradition of Innovation

We were founded in 2004 by world renown plastic surgeon Mr Bryan Mayou, best known for his pioneering work in the area of liposuction, lasers and microvascular surgery. We continue to collaborate with pioneers in our field.

Our History

At Home in Sloane Street, London

We are proud that our state of the art award-winning clinic is located in one of the best neighbourhoods in the country

Welcome to Sloane Street

Clinics Nationwide

We offer surgical consultations in London, Birmingham, Chelmsford and Bristol, and attract international patients from all corners of the globe such as as the USA, the Middle East and Europe.

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The Risks of Fat Transfer to Your Body

Before proceeding with Fat Transfer surgery, it is vital to be aware of the potential risks and complications that can arise. Your surgeon will discuss these risks with you in your consultation to ensure you understand how these may affect your procedure.

  • Hematoma and seroma - This is the build up of blood (Hematoma) or liquid (Seroma)  beneath the skin and will require treatment from your surgeon
  • Fat necrosis or poor graft take - In some cases, transferred fat cells may not survive
  • Poor wound healing - Healing complications or infection can affect the incision sites
  • Asymmetry - Occasionally, one buttock may appear larger than the other

In some instances, a complication may arise, resulting in the need for a secondary surgery. This may be for reasons beyond the surgeon’s control. Our skilled consultant surgeons are qualified professionals who have performed fat transfer numerous times and are leaders in the field.

 

It is also important to acknowledge that all surgical procedure carry a risk of:

  • Excessive bleeding 
  • Allergic reaction to general anaesthetic
  • Infection at the surgical site
  • Deep vein thrombosis (blood clot in a vein)



Trustpilot

Laurel Wreath for Awards

2023

Aesthetic Awards

Highly Commended Best Clinic in London

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Laurel Wreath for Awards

2021

Aesthetics Awards

Highly Commended

Laurel Wreath for Awards
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2021

My Face My Body

Best Clinic Winner

Laurel Wreath for Awards
Laurel Wreath for Awards

2020

My Face My Body

Best Clinic Winner

Laurel Wreath for Awards
Laurel Wreath for Awards

2019

My Face My Body

Winner

Laurel Wreath for Awards
Laurel Wreath for Awards

2018

My Face My Body

Highly Commended

Laurel Wreath for Awards
Laurel Wreath for Awards

2018

Aesthetics Awards

Highly Commended

Laurel Wreath for Awards
Laurel Wreath for Awards

2017

Aesthetics Awards

Winner

Laurel Wreath for Awards

0207 901 8500

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