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Fat transfer - Dalia Nield

'Fat Trap' technique

My 'Fat Trap' technique aids more successful fat transfer, says Dalia Nield, consultant plastic surgeon and member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS)

Fat transfer has long been used in reconstructive surgery for the correction of defects such as breast asymmetry and in breast reconstruction following mastectomy, and is increasingly popular in cosmetic surgery instead of fillers or implants, where patients prefer to have their own fat used. However, the widely used method, pioneered by US surgeon Sydney Coleman, is very successful but can be time consuming. For this reason, I have invented my own Fat Trap technique using a collection device.

Fat Trap involves the use of a sterile container which attaches directly onto a power-assisted liposuction machine – allowing for faster, more efficient fat harvesting. Colman’s method is manual – a cannula and syringe is used to collect the fat and usually only 20mls can be collected in each syringe. With my technique, I use the power-assisted system (Microaire) that I use in liposuction, but on a lower setting so the cells aren’t damaged, and the fat is collected quicker and goes straight into the Fat Trap which is located in the tube from the Microaire. This allows me to collect 40 mls each time. In addition, by collecting the fat immediately and sealing it, there is no need to subsequently clean the collected fat cells - which I believe can lead to cell damage which can affect the success of the graft. My method has helped me collect fat more efficiently and provided a bigger success rate in grafting, meaning a higher percentage of the fat ‘takes’. Avoiding further harvesting and grafting.

I used this method on a female patient who, after suffering with polio as a child was left with one leg considerably thinner than the other. She’s delighted with the results of a successful fat transfer to rectify the effects of the loss of muscle mass caused by the disease. Her legs now look normal and are almost equal in size. This woman has suffered years of feeling self conscious when going swimming or on the beach, and even struggled to get trousers to fit with the significant difference in size from one leg to the other. The use of this treatment in her case demonstrates that cosmetic surgery isn’t always for people wanting an aesthetic change for vanity reasons, but can also tackle a physical condition which can affect someone’s life on a day to day basis. Her problem was very evident and there was no way of her gaining back the muscle she had lost through polio. Luckily, she had excess fat around her hip area which I was able to use to inject into her thinner thigh to fill it out, and the use of a calf implant allowed me to even out the bottom part of her leg as well. The result looks very natural.

Dalia Nield

Dalia Nield (www.dalianieldplasticsurgeon.com) is a Harley Street plastic surgeon specialising in liposuction, liposculpture and body contouring with a special interest in reconstructive surgery. She has been a Consultant at both St. Bartholomew's Hospital and the Homerton Hospital. She now works entirely in the private sector, practicing at The London Clinic and as an Honorary Consultant to St. Luke's Hospital for the Clergy. The London Clinic has a dedicated floor for plastic surgery with specialist nurses and an accredited fellowship for final year trainee plastic surgeons.

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