How long does the fat grafting (lipofilling) procedure take?

The time taken will depend on how extensive the procedure is.

The fat needs to be ‘harvested’ from elsewhere - often the tummy or thighs. If we are trying to sculpt the donar area as well, then this may take an hour or so itself. If it is only to provide a little fat for the face then it might be taken in 30 minutes.

Then there is the processing of which there are several methods -  washing, filtering and spinning.  We might want to add extra stem cells, which takes an hour in itself.

Placement of the fat has to be precise. A small area of the face will be done in 10 minutes, but the major part of the face will take a lot longer. The breast and buttock take large volumes.

There is a technique available at the Cadogan Clinic where a large quantity of fat is taken and then frozen and stored. Small amounts can then be taken from the store over months or even years to layer the fat, building up the contour. Each of these injections can be carried out swiftly.

So how long does it take? It can take anywhere between 10 minutes up to 3 hours.

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