Recovery is always one of the biggest concerns for those considering cosmetic surgery, including fat grafting.
Recovering from your fat grafting procedure
After your fat grafting procedure, there will be swelling in the areas that were treated. The swelling will be the worst during the first week following your procedure, after which it will start to gradually subside. If possible, aim to take at least a week off of work, two weeks being more ideal. After 3 weeks, most of the swelling and bruising will have subsided.
It should also be noted that younger patients can expect less swelling than older patients, with health also playing a very important role. Someone who smokes, eats an unhealthy diet and doesn’t exercise on a regular basis will have a harder time during recovery than someone who leads a healthier lifestyle.
After your surgery, it’s advisable to take it as easy as possible during the first week. This means engaging in minimal activities, including household chores and gardening. Basically, anything that could aggravate the swelling.
Common fat grafting concerns
Fat transfer surgeons like Dr Zurek from Sydney usually address the following types of concerns after a fat grafting procedure:
- My cheeks feel incredibly hard, is this normal? – Yes, this will subside within a few weeks
- I feel like my face looks too full – This is completely normal and is no cause for concern
- Why do my lips look so thin? – This is also completely normal and your lips will regain their normal shape soon
- I can feel lumps in my chin on the inside of my mouth – There is no need to be worried as these lumps will disappear in a few weeks
- My swelling is still severe 2 days after my surgery, should I be worried? – Definitely not, this is normal
- I don’t think my face looks very symmetrical. Was the procedure unsuccessful? – No, this is only due to the swelling and not a true reflection of your results
- I am finding it difficult to smile – Once the transplantation areas have softened, this will get easier
- My swelling subsided yesterday but it looks worse again today, is this normal? – If you’ve been exerting the area, this can happen. It’s completely normal though and all swelling will disappear eventually
- The lines around my mouth seem deeper than before – Your mouth will start to look normal after a few weeks
If you are concerned about any of the symptoms that you’re experiencing after your fat grafting procedure, contact your doctor immediately to discuss it with them.
In order to see the best possible results, it’s important to give your body enough time to recover and to follow your surgeon’s post-procedure care instructions to the letter.
Fat grafting can provide you with incredible results, provided you choose the right surgeon, the right technique is used and you follow the necessary steps during the recovery process.
