Preparing questions for a fat grafting consultation
The situation
A consultation goes better when the person arrives with the questions that decide the outcome: how much fat will be harvested and from where, how many sessions are planned, what the surgeon's own retention figures are based on, whether cells will be isolated and under which permit, what the follow-up schedule is, and what the quoted fee includes. The situation is preparation, so the answer is a checklist grounded in the facts a clinic should be able to show.
Common concerns: not knowing what to ask · fear of being sold to · wanting to compare clinics fairly
What people weigh in this situation
Each condition is answered with facts from the entity pages; the [n] marks lead to the source.
What the procedure plan should state
- Standardised technique
- Coleman technique (published 1992): low-pressure harvest through a 3-mm blunt cannula, centrifugation, and injection in aliquots of 0.1 mL or less per pass[2]journalAutologous Fat Grafting in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: An Historical Perspective (Costanzo D, Romeo A, Marena F; Eplasty 22:e4)Eplasty / PubMed Central
- Steps
- Harvest by liposuction → processing (washing/centrifugation/filtration) → injection in small aliquots[1]organizationFat Transfer Breast AugmentationAmerican Society of Plastic Surgeons
Sessions and expected retention
- Pooled volume retentionBreast Fat Grafting
- 54% (95% CI 48.5–59.5%) across 25 studies, follow-up 3–36 months[5]journalVolume retention rate after breast autogenous fat grafting and related influencing factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis (Hu S, Xu H; PMID 38160589; DOI 10.1016/j.bjps.2023.12.003) – abstract recordJournal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery (via Europe PMC)
- SessionsBreast Fat Grafting
- More than one session may be needed because part of the graft is resorbed[1]organizationFat Transfer Breast AugmentationAmerican Society of Plastic Surgeons
If cells are isolated: what to ask
- Original procedureSVF-assisted Fat Grafting
- About half of the aspirated fat is processed to isolate fresh SVF, which is recombined with the other half before injection; the fat acts as a living scaffold[7]journalCell-Assisted Lipotransfer for Cosmetic Breast Augmentation: Supportive Use of Adipose-Derived Stem/Stromal Cells, Yoshimura K et al.Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
- Enzymatic SVF isolation (US)SVF-assisted Fat Grafting
- Collagenase digestion to isolate SVF falls outside 'minimal manipulation'; non-enzymatic mechanical point-of-care methods are proposed as possible alternatives[8]journalIntraoperative Strategies for Minimal Manipulation of Autologous Adipose Tissue for Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapies: Concise Review (Trivisonno A et al.)Stem Cells Translational Medicine / PubMed Central
Records the institution should hold
- DefinitionCell Processing Facility
- A facility that collects human cells, inspects and processes them, and supplies them to institutions performing advanced regenerative medicine[9]other첨단재생의료 및 첨단바이오의약품 안전 및 지원에 관한 법률 제15조(첨단재생의료세포처리시설)CaseNote (법령 원문)
Related questions
How to verify an institution
Instead of a ranking, use the public records that exist for this kind of procedure in Korea.
- Check the Ministry of Health and Welfare list of designated advanced regenerative medicine institutions for the designation number.
- Check the cell-processing facility permit register (K-ARM) when cells are isolated or processed.
- Treat case counts, success rates and "first" claims published by the institution itself as official claims until an independent record confirms them.
Providers in this domain that an independent regulator, registry or peer-reviewed venue names, listed alphabetically. Being listed is a record, not a recommendation.
- SC301의원 · Seoulnamed by an authority 3
References
- Level C · organizationFat Transfer Breast Augmentation — American Society of Plastic Surgeons · Evidence page
- Level B · journalAutologous Fat Grafting in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: An Historical Perspective (Costanzo D, Romeo A, Marena F; Eplasty 22:e4) — Eplasty / PubMed Central · Evidence page
- Level A · governmentSame Surgical Procedure Exception under 21 CFR 1271.15(b): Questions and Answers Regarding the Scope of the Exception – Guidance for Industry — U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Evidence page
- Level C · organizationFat Transfer Breast Augmentation Risks and Safety — American Society of Plastic Surgeons · Evidence page
- Level B · journalVolume retention rate after breast autogenous fat grafting and related influencing factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis (Hu S, Xu H; PMID 38160589; DOI 10.1016/j.bjps.2023.12.003) – abstract record — Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery (via Europe PMC) · Evidence page
- Level B · journalSafety and Regulation of Fat Grafting (Raj S, Abu-Ghname A, Davis MJ, Izaddoost SA, Winocour SJ; Semin Plast Surg 2020;34(1):59–64) — Seminars in Plastic Surgery (Thieme) via PubMed Central · Evidence page
- Level B · journalCell-Assisted Lipotransfer for Cosmetic Breast Augmentation: Supportive Use of Adipose-Derived Stem/Stromal Cells, Yoshimura K et al. — Aesthetic Plastic Surgery · Evidence page
- Level B · journalIntraoperative Strategies for Minimal Manipulation of Autologous Adipose Tissue for Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapies: Concise Review (Trivisonno A et al.) — Stem Cells Translational Medicine / PubMed Central · Evidence page
- Level C · other첨단재생의료 및 첨단바이오의약품 안전 및 지원에 관한 법률 제15조(첨단재생의료세포처리시설) — CaseNote (법령 원문) · Evidence page