With the popularity of GLP-1 medications, an increasing number of patients are experiencing rapid weight loss. This can have unexpected and undesirable effects.
Many people find that some of their curves or volume disappear with the fat. Further down the road, fat banking may come in handy for this.
Relatively new and not used a lot in the United States yet, fat banking is a method of storing fat for later use by plastic surgeons to achieve a patient’s aesthetic goals without surgery. But what is fat banking exactly? And is it safe?
What Is Fat Banking?
In previous blog posts, we’ve talked about fat harvesting, which is when a patient’s fat is harvested, purified, then injected back into the patient’s body. Fat banking, on the other hand, is a specific process involving cryopreservation and storage.
The fat in this case is live adipose tissue for use at a later date. The tissue is sent to a specialized lab where it’s processed with minimal manipulation to remove waste and dead cells. Then it’s cryopreserved using a proprietary process and stored in liquid nitrogen at -190 degrees Celsius.
When needed, the surgeon requests the patient’s fat, which is ready to be loaded into syringes and injected in specific areas of the body under local anesthesia.
The Advantages of Fat Banking
With fat banking, a patient could receive several rounds of fat grafting from a single harvest. That means the fat could be transferred over time and with subsequent transfers. And though the patient doesn’t require additional harvesting through liposuction, that is an option.
Once the live tissue is frozen at cryopreservation temperatures, there is no cell activity. Thus, it can be preserved without degradation as long as it’s kept in the freezer. It’s possible it can be stored for years or even decades. And the thawed tissue will be the same cellular age it was when harvested. At least, that’s the theory.
Is Fat Banking Safe?
It’s difficult to say outright whether fat banking is safe at this point. It appears to be. But the bigger question concerns its efficacy. There is so little data and so many factors at play.
Because the stored tissue is alive, if it’s not properly frozen and stored, it can affect its viability. And these factors can have a bearing on how effective it will be in cosmetic applications. Patients may not get the volume retention they desire or might need additional treatments to get it. There could also be uneven results or not enough viable material.
Meanwhile, traditional fat transfer with harvested tissue has a longer track record and strong evidence of its efficacy. Surgeons understand how the tissue is likely to behave with a fat transfer. Fat banking, by contrast, is still in its developmental phase. This makes it difficult to set realistic expectations in terms of aesthetic goals.
Keeping an Eye on the Future
As research continues, fat banking will probably become more established. Today, though, most surgeons still utilize the traditional fat harvesting method because it has a predictable and highly supported outcome.
Even if, for now, that means an extra liposuction session or two.
So if you’re experiencing sagging skin or lowered volume from extreme weight loss, contact us today. During your consultation, one of our board-certified plastic surgeons will go over all of your options to determine the best solution.