Fat grafting is a clever way to reshape your body and refresh your appearance. It addresses two concerns at once: removing unwanted fat from areas like your abdomen, thighs, or flanks, and then using that fat to add volume where it’s needed, such as cheeks, hands, buttocks, or breasts. This procedure uses your own tissue, avoiding allergy risks and offering natural-looking, long-lasting results that blend with your body. The transferred fat contains stem cells and growth factors that not only fill areas but also help regenerate tissues, improving skin and boosting collagen production for results that improve over time.
At The Collins Center, Dr. Beth Collins, with her specialized training, certifications, and years of experience, ensures each fat grafting procedure is successful. She focuses on careful fat harvesting, precise processing, and strategic placement for optimal outcomes.
Before / After Gallery
Fat grafting can dramatically improve your appearance. It restores volume to faces, hands, breasts, and bodies using your own tissue. Our gallery shows patients who feel confident with results that look natural because they are made from their own fat. Dr Collins expertly contours donor and recipient areas for balanced enhancement. Each transformation shows how your body can heal beautifully with skilled surgery.
Treatable Areas
- Cheeks, temples, and under-eye hollows requiring facial volume restoration​
- Aging hands with visible veins, tendons, and sun damage​
- Breasts needing reconstruction, augmentation, or contour improvement
- Buttocks enhancement for curves and projection (Brazilian Butt Lift)
- Depressed scars anywhere on the body requiring elevation
- Labia and intimate areas affected by aging or childbirth
- Calves, ankles, or other body areas needing contour enhancement
- Any region showing volume depletion from weight loss or natural aging​
How Fat Grafting Works
Your body holds fat that can be moved to areas needing more volume like a hidden reserve. Dr. Collins identifies fat from donor areas and recipient areas to create a plan for the procedure. She uses gentle liposuction to collect fat cells, keeping them healthy.
Next, the fat is purified to remove unwanted substances, leaving only the best cells for transplant. Dr. Collins then injects these purified fat cells in small amounts throughout the treatment areas, ensuring good blood supply. Since some fat is naturally reabsorbed, she initially injects a little extra to compensate for volume loss. The remaining cells become a permanent part of your body, adjusting slightly with weight changes.
Whether you need surgical precision, metabolic wellness, or non-surgical refinement, we look at the big picture. Let’s design a unified treatment plan that addresses your health and beauty under one roof.
Results You’ll Love
- Natural volume enhancement using your own living tissue instead of synthetic products
- Zero risk of allergic reactions or rejection since the material comes from your body
- Dual aesthetic benefit from both fat removal at donor sites and enhancement at recipient areas
- Long-lasting, potentially permanent results as surviving fat cells establish residence
- Improved skin quality and texture thanks to regenerative stem cells within transferred fat
- Natural feel and movement in treated areas that synthetic fillers cannot replicate​
- Results that continue improving over months as collagen production increases
- Freedom from the maintenance cycle temporary fillers and repeated injections require
Are You a Candidate for Fat Grafting?
- You have adequate fat deposits available for harvesting from donor areas
- You desire natural enhancement without synthetic materials or foreign substances
- You’re seeking longer-lasting results than temporary dermal fillers provide
- You’ve experienced volume loss from aging, weight changes, or medical treatments
- You want the dual benefit of body contouring combined with volume enhancement​
- You’re frustrated with the temporary nature and ongoing costs of injectable fillers
- You maintain stable weight and are committed to healthy lifestyle habits
- You understand that optimal results may require more than one treatment session
Why Choose The Collins Center
- Fellowship-trained body contouring specialist with expertise in both liposuction and fat transfer. Dr. Collins’ advanced training at Emory University specifically focused on body procedures, giving her exceptional skill in the harvesting techniques that determine fat grafting success.
- Over 16 years performing body contouring procedures with comprehensive anatomical knowledge. Dr. Collins’ extensive surgical experience includes countless liposuction and fat grafting cases, developing the refined judgment that ensures beautiful donor site contouring and optimal recipient site enhancement.​
- Double board-certified plastic surgeon committed to evidence-based surgical techniques. Dr. Collins’ certifications in both general surgery and plastic surgery provide the comprehensive medical foundation that complex fat grafting procedures demand.​
- Nationally recognized educator speaking at prestigious medical conferences. Dr. Collins teaches advanced techniques to surgeons at the American Society of Plastic Surgery and Women’s Plastic Surgery Conference, demonstrating her mastery of body contouring procedures.
- Comprehensive aesthetic practice offering coordinated treatment approaches. From surgical procedures to laser treatments, injectables, and medical weight loss programs, The Collins Center provides complete care tailored to your transformation journey.
FAQs about Fat Grafting
How long do fat grafting results last?
The fat cells that successfully establish blood supply and survive the initial integration period (typically 60-70% of what’s transferred) become permanent residents in their new location. These surviving cells behave like natural fat, fluctuating slightly with weight changes but remaining indefinitely. Most patients enjoy their results for many years or permanently, making fat grafting significantly more enduring than temporary fillers.
Is fat grafting better than dermal fillers?
Fat grafting offers several distinct advantages: it uses your own tissue eliminating allergy risks, provides potentially permanent rather than temporary results, contains regenerative stem cells that improve skin quality over time, creates a softer and more natural feel, and offers the added benefit of body contouring at donor sites. The trade-offs are that it requires surgery rather than simple injections and may need multiple sessions for optimal volume.
Which areas of the body can donate fat for grafting?
Dr. Collins typically harvests fat from the abdomen, flanks (love handles), inner and outer thighs, back, or buttocks—essentially any area where you have unwanted deposits. The ideal donor site varies by patient based on where you have adequate fat available and where you’d appreciate contouring benefits. This creates the appealing dual benefit of slimming one area while enhancing another.
How many fat grafting sessions will I need?
Some patients achieve their desired outcome in a single session, while others benefit from a second procedure to add additional volume once the initial grafting has settled and resorption is complete. Because approximately 30-40% of transferred fat is naturally reabsorbed, areas requiring significant volume restoration may need staged treatments. Dr. Collins will create a personalized plan based on your specific goals during consultation.
What is recovery like after fat grafting?
Recovery depends on which areas are treated and the extent of the procedure. Most patients experience moderate swelling and bruising at both donor and recipient sites for one to two weeks, with the majority returning to work within 7-10 days. Donor sites may feel sore similar to after liposuction, while recipient areas appear overfilled initially before settling to their final result over several months.
Can fat grafting be combined with other procedures?
Absolutely. Fat grafting pairs beautifully with facelift, body contouring, breast surgery, or virtually any procedure where volume enhancement or contour refinement would benefit the outcome. Many patients choose to harvest fat during tummy tuck or liposuction procedures and transfer it to their face, breasts, or buttocks for comprehensive transformation in one surgery. Dr. Collins will discuss the most effective combinations during your consultation.
Will transferred fat cells behave like normal fat?
Yes, exactly. Once the transferred fat cells establish blood supply and survive the initial healing period, they become permanent residents that behave identically to native fat in that location. If you gain weight, these areas may increase slightly; if you lose weight, they may decrease proportionally. This natural behavior is what makes fat grafting results look and feel so authentic.
Transform unwanted fat into your most valuable beauty asset. Contact The Collins Center in Guilford or Mystic, CT to schedule your fat grafting consultation with Dr. Collins today.
