Liposuction and Fat TransferLIPOSUCTION
AND FAT TRANSFER
Mr Harris uses liposuction as a stand-alone procedure to reduce stubborn areas of fat that remain, despite exercise and weight loss. The procedure is very good at bringing difficult areas back into proportion with the rest of the body.
Liposuction improves body shape by removing exercise-resistant fat deposits with a tube and a vacuum device. The most common locations for liposuction are the abdomen, hips, and thighs, although it can also be useful for areas such as the chin, neck, upper arms, knees, calves, and ankles.
It has been around for several decades and has been improved with many technical refinements and newer energy delivery devices.
Mr Harris uses liposuction as a stand-alone procedure to reduce stubborn areas of fat that remain, despite exercise and weight loss. The procedure is very good at bringing difficult areas back into proportion with the rest of the body. However, it is not a replacement for weight loss which should be achieved using diet and exercise. Liposuction is also used as an adjunctive or additional adjustment procedure to help refine the results in breast reductions, tummy tucks and other body contouring operations.
Fat transfer plays a valuable role in both cosmetic and reconstructive surgery given its ability to fill small and large volume deficiencies.
In fat transfer, often referred to as lipofilling or liposculpture, fat cells are harvested from a donor site on the patient’s body (typically the abdomen, thighs or bottom) and are re-injected in multiple small quantities at a new site. Not all the fat injected survives, but it has become an established surgical technique, particularly in the face and breast. The use of a patient’s own body fat to fill and sculpt tissues can assist in producing a more natural look and is commonly used by Mr Harris.
Mr Harris uses fat transfer in almost all of his breast reconstructive procedures as an adjunctive procedure, like liposuction, to help refine the results and improve the contour of the breast.
Whilst fat transfer alone does not produce a reliable result for breast enhancement, it’s particularly helpful in combination with silicone breast implants. This combination of implants and fat is called Hybrid or Composite augmentation.
Fat transfer is also used a great deal when removing breast implants, as it minimises the impact of the sudden volume loss, and can improve the quality of the skin.
When fat is injected in the buttock, the procedure is known as a BBL or Brazilian Butt Lift. Mr Harris has grave concerns about this procedure due to the high complication rate and even deaths that have been reported. Indeed, he is on record for speaking out against BBL in the UK when he was President of The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS). Despite some recent improvements in the safety profile amongst some very specialised surgeons, he does not perform this procedure.
Mr Harris is on record for speaking out against BBL in the UK when he was President of The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS). Despite some recent improvements in the safety profile amongst some very specialised surgeons, he does not perform this procedure.
