Body lipofilling, also known as fat transfer or autologous fat grafting, is a technique that moves fat from an area where you have a surplus to an area that would benefit from more volume. At her practice on Harley Street in London, Ms Anna De Leo, a GMC-registered Consultant Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeon, uses lipofilling to rebalance proportions, soften hollows and restore volume with a natural feel that comes from using your own tissue.
The appeal of fat transfer is twofold: a donor area such as the abdomen, flanks or thighs is gently contoured by liposuction, and the purified fat is placed where volume has been lost or was never present – the hips, the buttocks, the breasts or the backs of the hands. There is no implant and only tiny incisions. Lipofilling has real limitations, however: not all transferred fat survives, more than one session may be needed, and fat grafting to certain areas carries specific risks that must be understood before deciding.
01What Is Body Lipofilling?
Body lipofilling is performed in three carefully controlled stages, each of which influences how much of the fat survives:
- Harvesting: fat is removed from a donor area using fine cannulas and gentle, low-pressure suction designed to keep the fat cells intact. Common donor sites are the abdomen, flanks, inner thighs and outer thighs.
- Processing: the harvested fat is purified, separating healthy fat cells from fluid, oil and blood so that only viable tissue is transferred.
- Grafting: the purified fat is reinjected through tiny incisions using very fine cannulas, placed in many small threads and layers so that each droplet is surrounded by tissue with a good blood supply. This is essential for the graft to survive.
Areas commonly treated
- Hips and buttocks – filling hip dips and improving projection and curve (see the safety note below);
- Breasts – modest volume enhancement, correction of asymmetry, or softening the edges of an implant;
- Hands – restoring volume to the backs of ageing hands so that veins and tendons are less prominent;
- Contour irregularities – dents after previous liposuction, injury or surgery, and tethered or depressed scars.
Fat can be transferred to several areas in a single procedure, and the donor-site liposuction itself provides a contouring benefit. For more about the harvesting stage, see liposuction.
02Who Is Suitable for Fat Transfer?
Body lipofilling may suit you if:
- you would like a moderate increase in volume or a refined contour using your own tissue rather than an implant;
- you have enough spare fat in a donor area – very slim people may not have sufficient fat to harvest;
- you are at a stable weight and intend to remain so, because grafted fat behaves like fat elsewhere in the body and changes size with weight;
- you are a non-smoker, as smoking significantly reduces fat graft survival;
- you accept that results are gradual and that a second session may be needed.
Lipofilling is not designed to create a very large change in a single step. If you want a substantial increase in breast size, breast augmentation with implants may be more appropriate, sometimes combined with fat grafting for a softer transition.
03Your Lipofilling Consultation on Harley Street
Your consultation takes place at 64 Harley Street in Marylebone, London. Ms Anna De Leo will discuss what you would like to change and why, review your medical history, weight history, medications and any previous surgery, and examine both the areas you would like to enhance and the potential donor sites.
Together you will agree which areas to treat, how much change is realistic from one session, and whether a staged approach would give a better and safer result. Ms De Leo will explain what affects the cost of a personalised plan – the number of donor and recipient areas, operating time, anaesthetic and aftercare – so that you understand how your plan is built. Many people who search for a fat transfer surgeon in London value discussing body shape with a female surgeon who takes the time to understand their goals.
In line with GMC guidance for cosmetic surgery, a cooling-off period of at least two weeks is observed between consultation and surgery, and a second appointment is encouraged before you decide.
04Body Lipofilling Technique and Safety
Gentle harvesting and careful placement
Fat cells are fragile. Ms De Leo uses fine cannulas and controlled suction to protect them, purifies the fat to remove free oil and fluid, and reinjects it in small aliquots across multiple tunnels and planes. Over-filling a single area reduces survival and increases the risk of oil cysts or firm lumps, so restraint is part of the technique.
A crucial safety point: fat transfer to the buttocks
Fat grafting to the buttocks, often marketed as a “Brazilian butt lift”, carries a recognised risk of fat embolism when fat is injected into or beneath the gluteal muscles, where large veins lie. UK professional bodies have issued strong safety guidance in response. Where buttock or hip enhancement is planned, fat is placed only in the subcutaneous layer, above the muscle, and volumes are kept within safe limits. This prioritises safety over maximum projection, and Ms De Leo will discuss this openly with you.
Minimal-scar approach
Lipofilling uses only tiny incisions of a few millimetres for harvesting and grafting. They usually fade well but may remain faintly visible on close inspection. Scar care is supported with silicone, massage and laser-based treatment, including the Genesis device, where helpful.
Lipofilling rewards patience and restraint: placing your own fat gently, safely and in the right layer matters more than placing a lot of it.
ADLSynergy · Harley Street
05Body Lipofilling Recovery Time
Recovery is usually straightforward, though both the donor and recipient areas will be swollen and bruised at first:
- Same day: most patients go home the same day from an accredited London hospital.
- First week: swelling, bruising and soreness, particularly at the donor sites; avoid pressure on grafted areas wherever possible.
- One to two weeks: return to desk-based work and light activity.
- Four to six weeks: compression garment worn over the donor areas; avoid tight garments or direct pressure on grafted areas as advised.
- Three to six months: the final result becomes clear once swelling resolves and the surviving fat has established a blood supply.
A balanced diet and stable weight help grafted fat thrive, and protecting the treated areas from pressure in the early weeks is one of the most important things you can do to support your body lipofilling result. Follow-up reviews take place on Harley Street, and the ADLSynergy team provides lymphatic drainage, scar care and recovery support, alongside red light therapy, oxygen therapy and nutritional guidance through our longevity programme.
06Risks of Body Lipofilling
Body lipofilling is often perceived as a minor procedure, but it is surgery and carries risks:
- Variable fat survival – a proportion of the transferred fat is reabsorbed, and the amount varies between people and areas; touch-up sessions may be needed;
- Fat necrosis and oil cysts – small firm lumps if some fat does not survive; in the breast these may need imaging to distinguish them from other changes;
- Asymmetry or irregularity at donor or recipient sites;
- infection, bleeding, bruising and prolonged swelling;
- Fat embolism – rare but serious, particularly with gluteal fat grafting, which is why strict safety principles are followed;
- anaesthetic risks and blood clots.
Before and after photographs can illustrate what lipofilling may achieve, but results vary with individual healing, fat quality and weight stability. Surviving fat is long-lasting, but it will change with future weight gain or loss and with ageing.
07Why Choose Ms Anna De Leo on Harley Street
Ms Anna De Leo is a female plastic surgeon with more than twenty years of experience across aesthetic and reconstructive surgery. She is a Fellow of the European Board of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (FEBOPRAS), holds a European Master's Degree in Reconstructive Microsurgery and a Diploma in Microsurgical Techniques, and is a member of BAPRAS and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Fat grafting is used widely in reconstructive surgery, and her background in this field brings a deep respect for tissue viability and safety.
From her practice on Harley Street, ADLSynergy connects surgery with recovery science, nutrition and breathwork, so that healing is supported from every angle. To discuss body lipofilling in London, please arrange a consultation or read more about Ms De Leo.
