What fat transfer to the hands is
Fat transfer to the hands takes your own fat from your stomach or thighs and places it in the backs of your hands, through small incisions, to restore volume.
Fat is living tissue. It needs to establish a blood supply, so the fullness settles over the first months before your result shows. Part of the fat may be absorbed, and more than one session may be needed.
Every procedure is performed at True Surgical Center, our AAAHC-accredited surgical center in Beverly Hills. About True Surgical Center
Who it is for
Your surgeon tells you at your consultation whether fat transfer to the hands fits your goals, and says so when another approach would serve you better.
Fat Transfer to the Hands in Beverly Hills: the essentials
- Where
- True Surgical Center, the AAAHC-accredited surgical center at 150 S. Rodeo Drive, Suite 220, Beverly Hills.
- Anesthesia
- Local anesthesia with MAC (monitored anesthesia care) and IV sedation, given and watched throughout by a board-certified anesthesiologist. Someone takes you home or to your hotel and stays nearby the first day.
- Sutures
- Dissolvable; they fall off in about 2 weeks, with nothing to remove.
- Rings
- Take off every ring before your surgery day. Your hands will swell, and rings can become tight for 1 to 2 weeks.
- Swelling
- The backs of your hands, and where the fat was taken, are swollen and may be bruised for 1 to 2 weeks. Your fingers may feel stiff while they are swollen.
- Using your hands
- No heavy gripping, lifting or carrying, and no massage of your hands, for 2 weeks.
- Exercise
- Light cardio may resume at 2 weeks. Strenuous exercise: typically 3 weeks, once your surgeon clears you.
- Final result
- The fullness settles over the first months; full healing may take up to 6 months, with a check-up at 3 months.
Every plan is personal, so your surgeon confirms each of these for you at your consultation. Recovery, week by week
What happens on the day
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01Before you go in
Take off every ring before your surgery day, and follow the Pre-Op General Instructions.
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02Taking and placing the fat
Fat is taken from your stomach or thighs and placed in the backs of your hands through small incisions, closed with dissolvable sutures.
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03Going home
You go home or to your hotel the same day with someone who stays nearby the first day. Keep your hands raised above your heart when you rest for the first 3 to 5 days, gently open and close them several times a day, and walk around at least every 2 hours during the day.
Preparing for surgery · Out-of-town patients · Post-operative care guide
Recovery, week by week
This comes from the written instructions our patients receive before surgery, so it changes only when those instructions change.
Blood-tinged drainage from the small incisions during the first 24 to 48 hours is expected. Keep your hands raised above your heart when you rest, and ice 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off, for 5 days to a week. Starting Day 1, clean the incisions 2 to 3 times a day with soap and water or peroxide, then apply Aquaphor.
Swelling and bruising of the hands, and where the fat was taken, settle over 1 to 2 weeks. No heavy gripping, lifting or carrying, and no hand massage, for 2 weeks. No driving while you take prescription pain medication.
Light cardio may resume at 2 weeks; strenuous exercise typically at 3 weeks, once your surgeon clears you. Rings go back on once the swelling has settled. SPF 50 on the backs of your hands. No bathtub, hot tub, pool, pond or lake for 4 weeks.
The fullness settles over the first months as the fat establishes a blood supply. Full healing may take up to 6 months, and a check-up is advisable 3 months after surgery.
Difficulty breathing, chest pain, or bleeding that does not stop with gentle pressure means call 911. For anything else that worries you, call us at (424) 363-4112, day or night. When to call us right away
Fat Transfer to the Hands risks, and how we keep you safe
Every procedure carries risk. Your surgeon goes through the risks that apply to your plan at your consultation, and each one is written in the consent you read and sign. For fat transfer to the hands, the consent lists:
- Resorption. Part of the transferred fat may be absorbed, so the result may fade and more grafting may be needed.
- Lumps. Lumps or irregularities that can be seen or felt on the back of the hands are possible and may need treatment.
- Swelling and Stiffness. Swelling of the hands for several weeks is expected, and stiffness or a weaker grip while the hands are swollen is possible.
- Numbness or Tingling. Numbness or tingling of the hands or fingers is possible; it may be temporary or permanent.
- Injury to Tendons, Veins or Nerves. Injury to a tendon, vein or nerve on the back of the hand is possible.
- Over- or Under-Correction. Too much or too little fullness, or a difference between the two hands, is possible.
- Fat Entering a Blood Vessel. Fat entering a blood vessel is possible and can block blood flow or travel to the lungs (fat embolism).
- Hemosiderin Staining. Hemosiderin staining is possible: iron left in the skin after bruising can leave a brown or yellow-brown discoloration that may last months or be permanent.
- Donor Site. Contour irregularity, numbness, bruising or swelling where the fat was taken is possible.
- More Than One Session. More than one session may be needed.
Risks of any operation
- Bleeding. Bleeding during or after surgery is possible. A collection of blood under the skin (hematoma) may need drainage or a return to the operating room, and severe bleeding may need emergency treatment or a blood transfusion.
- Infection. Infection is possible and may need antibiotics, drainage or further surgery.
- Bruising and Swelling. Bruising and swelling are expected. They may last several weeks, and swelling or discoloration may persist longer.
- Scarring. Every incision or entry point leaves a permanent scar. A scar may be raised, widened, darker, lighter or more visible than expected, and takes at least 3 months to mature.
- Keloid or Raised Scar. Itching, thickening, pain or a growth along any incision can be the first sign of a keloid (a thick, raised scar). Let us know right away so it can be injected with a steroid to stop the keloid from forming. A keloid is more likely if you have had one before and may need further injections or treatment.
- Change in Skin Sensation. Numbness, tingling or a change in skin sensation around the treated areas is possible; it may be temporary or permanent.
- Delayed Healing. Delayed healing or separation of an incision is possible and much more likely with nicotine in any form.
- Allergic Reactions. Allergic reactions to tape, sutures, skin cleansers, latex or medications are possible.
- Blood Clots. Blood clots in the legs or lungs (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) are possible and more likely with longer surgery; your surgical team uses the clot-prevention plan chosen for you.
- Anesthesia. Risks of anesthesia and sedation are possible; the anesthesia provider reviews them with you separately.
- Pain. Pain after surgery is expected and should settle over several days; pain that lasts longer is possible.
- Result and Revision. A result that does not meet your expectations is possible: healing differs between people, no result is guaranteed, and a revision may be advised, with the fees described in your patient policy.
- Serious Complications. Serious complications, including death, are possible with any surgery or anesthesia.
- Heart and Lung Problems. Heart or lung problems, such as pneumonia or an irregular heartbeat, are possible after surgery and anesthesia.
- Medication Side Effects. Side effects of the medications used during and after surgery, such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, dizziness or trouble urinating, are possible.
- Injury to Deeper Structures. Injury to deeper structures, such as nerves, blood vessels, muscles or glands, is possible.
- Persistent Sutures. A deeper stitch may work its way to the surface and need to be removed.
When to call us right away · Before & after gallery · Request a consultation
Fat Transfer to the Hands FAQ
A small amount of your own fat is taken from your stomach or thighs and placed in the backs of your hands, through small incisions, to restore volume.
Gently open and close your hands several times a day from the start. No heavy gripping, lifting or carrying, and no hand massage, for 2 weeks; rings go back on once the swelling has settled.
Possibly. Fat is living tissue: the part that establishes a blood supply stays, but part of the fat may be absorbed, so the result may fade and more grafting may be needed.
The backs of your hands are swollen and may be bruised for 1 to 2 weeks, and your fingers may feel stiff while they are swollen. The sutures dissolve in about 2 weeks. Light cardio at 2 weeks, strenuous exercise typically at 3 weeks, and full healing may take up to 6 months.
The consent you read and sign lists these possible complications: part of the fat may be absorbed, so the result may fade and more grafting may be needed; lumps or irregularities that can be seen or felt; swelling for several weeks, with stiffness or a weaker grip while the hands are swollen; numbness or tingling of the hands or fingers, which may be temporary or permanent; injury to a tendon, vein or nerve on the back of the hand; too much or too little fullness, or a difference between the hands; hemosiderin staining; changes where the fat was taken; and fat entering a blood vessel, which can block blood flow or travel to the lungs (fat embolism). It also lists the risks of any operation, including bleeding, infection, blood clots and the risks of anesthesia. Your surgeon reviews each one with you.
Related Procedures
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