Best Clinic UK - Aesthetics Awards 2024
& Aesthetic Medicine Awards 2024
Body Surgery
at Cadogan Clinic, London’s Leading Cosmetic Surgery Specialists.
Get in touchWe have invited only the very best consultants to practice at our specialist clinic.
Our state-of the-art award winning facilities are located right in the heart of London.
Best Clinic London 2024
We were awarded Best Clinic London at the industry-leading 2024 Aesthetics Awards.
CQC ‘Outstanding’
Our Leadership is rated ‘Outstanding’ by the independent healthcare regulator in England.
20 Years of Safety
We’ve enjoyed a spotless safety track record over 20 years at the top of our field.
96% Excellence Rating
We support 30,000 patient appointments each year, 96% of which were rated 5*.
Medically Reviewed December 2023, by Mr. Bryan Mayou (GMC: 1414396) - founder of the Cadogan Clinic and one of the world's leading plastic surgeons
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.
Get in touchSurgery 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
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:
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:
Words from our clients:
"I was extremely satisfied with the care and treatment I received at the Cadogan Clinic. My surgeon was friendly and informative and explained the procedure fully. My procedure went very well and with the excellent care of the nursing staff, I made a speedy and full recovery. Would recommend to anyone."Eva Berry
"At the beginning before the operation the nurse taking care of me made me feel so comfortable. The surgeon and anesthetist helped me feel so calm. Fantastic before and after treatment"Scarlett Elliott
"The girls on the reception at the clinic were very pleasant and professional. The nurse who took out my stitches after my surgery was just lovely and took me through step by step what she was doing and she also recommended a great cream to use to help with healing."Georgina Nolan
“I was treated with care and provided with thorough knowledge about the procedure I was undertaking. My surgeon was very methodical (a perfectionist) and I felt I received A class treatment."Courtney O'Sullivan
"Outstanding experience from the first appointment to being discharged. Very professional, friendly and a fantastic outcome."Gemma Stevenson
"Reception staff very welcoming and efficient. Both nurses who I dealt with were fantastic, and the whole team (anaesthetist, surgeon etc) were friendly but professional, and really put my mind at ease. That I was able to stay later than I perhaps needed after my surgery to fit in with my husbands schedule was greatly appreciated."Emma Davies
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
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.
Face
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.
Breasts
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.
Hands
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.
Buttocks and Hips
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.
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.
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.
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.
01.The consultation
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.
02.Leading up to procedure
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:
03.On the day
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.
04.Treatment recovery
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 JourneyWhat can I expect after fat transfer surgery?
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.
How will I feel after my fat transfer surgery?
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.
How will I get home after my fat transfer surgery?
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.
How long will I be off work after fat transfer surgery?
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.
What is the recovery time for fat transfer surgery?
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.
When will I see the final results of my fat transfer?
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.
What effects can smoking and alcohol have on my fat transfer results?
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.
What is autologous fat transfer surgery?
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.
What are the benefits of using an autologous, natural resource?
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.
Mr. Bryan Mayou
Fat Transfer is a revolutionary approach to contouring and augmentation with use cases all over the body. By using the patient's own fat, the procedure involves no risk of foreign implant rejection or reduces risks of associated implant complications. Fat Transfer also yields more natural-looking results, seamlessly integrating new contours with existing surrounding natural tissues. Whether enhancing curves or correcting asymmetry, this technique offers patients a safer and more natural alternative to implants, with excellent long lasting outcomes.Mr. Bryan Mayou
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 UsBest 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 ClinicA 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 HistoryAt 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 StreetClinics 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.
Get in TouchBefore 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.
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:
Cosmetic Surgery
We believe in the delivery of excellent outcomes and results, and exceptional levels of service. Our outcomes are natural and long-lasting, and we remain the premier choice for cosmetic surgery treatments in the UK.
2024
Aesthetic Medicine 2024
UK Clinic of the Year
2024
Aesthetic Awards
Best Clinic, London
2024
Aesthetic Medicine
Best Clinic, London
2023
Aesthetic Awards
Highly Commended
2021
Aesthetic Awards
Highly Commended
2021
MyFaceMyBody
Best Plastic Surgery Clinic, UK
2020
MyFaceMyBody Awards
Best Plastic Surgery Clinic, UK
2019
MyFaceMyBody Awards
Best Plastic Surgery Clinic, UK