Dr. Sam Lam Plastic Surgery Forum

a) Do you use local or general anesthesia when doing the fat transfer. Or do you offer either option?
I prefer general because the procedure can be amazingly short, with very little anesthetic, and much less swelling. for someone under local, the procedure takes much longer, i have to use a lot more anesthetic, there is much more bruising, swelling, and recovery. it is also uncomfortable. if you really do not want general, i can do it under sedation.
b) When harvesting the fat, does it matter if it is fat that you just gained? No
Or fat that has been there a while, for example if you have lost 20 pounds and kept it off for a few months, and that is the fat that you withdraw, is that any different as far as how long it will last once it has been transplanted. I ask this because they call the last 5 pounds "stubborn fat" and I am sure this has nothing to do with how it is metabolized. No, but you must watch this video to understand how I see weight changes in order to appreciate safety:
http://lamfacialplastics.com/gallery2/v ... t.flv.html
c) does a persons metabolism rate have to do with the percentage of fat that does not take?
in general no. i have done smoker's (albeit not advisable), athletes, and slightly heavier people, all with pretty good take.