Autologous fat grafting with or without processing: A study in an Indian clinical context

Background: Although fat grafting has become an attractive method of correction of soft tissue deficiencies, variability in results exists. As the understanding of mechanism of survival of graft improves, the concepts regarding fat grafting change. There are many ways to process the aspirated fat with no clear method superior. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of processing during autologous fat transfer. Materials and Methods: The patients were serially divided into two groups, namely, A and B. Harvesting of lipoaspirate and injection of fat were same in both the groups. In group A, no processing was done. In group B, the fat was processed by sedimentation and injected. Patient satisfaction was assessed following the procedure and statistical analysis was done using the Mann-Whitney U-test. Results: Young females between 21 and 30 years formed the majority of patients who opted for fat grafting procedure. Most of the procedures were performed for defects in the face (93.3%). The most common indication of fat grafting was contour deformities, with abdomen being the most preferred donor site. The mean patients' satisfaction following fat grafting without processing is 2.2 ± 0.68. The mean patients' satisfaction following fat grafting with processing is 2.53 ± 0.99. Conclusion: There was not a statistically significant difference in patient outcomes following fat grafting, with or without processing, in terms of patient satisfaction. Autologous fat grafting was found to be a safe procedure with no significant complications.