New Study Shows Autologous Fat Grafting is a Viable Option for Calf Augmentation and Reshaping

Fat grafting is revolutionizing aesthetic body contouring and treatment of soft-tissue, volume-related issues in plastic surgery. A study published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal, the official publication of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), showed that fat grafting for correction of slender calves, (either for purely cosmetic purposes or for discrepancies in appearance between legs due to deformities, infections, or trauma,) are a viable alternative to traditional implant-based calf augmentation.“Autologous fat augmentation offers a number of advantages over calf implants, including liposuction in adjacent areas to improve calf contour, smaller incisions, additional augmentation through subsequent fat grafting, durable results, lack of foreign body reaction, and precise patient-specific adjustments not possible with off-the-shelf implants,” notes Dr. James E. Vogel, corresponding author and ASAPS member.Over a 5-year period, 13 patients underwent calf augmentation and reshaping with autologous fat grafting. Ten patients underwent bilateral calf augmentation, and three cases were performed for congenital leg discrepancies. Fat was harvested from the abdomen, lateral thigh, medial thigh, waistline, flanks, axilla, upper back, and hips. Irrespective of the fat harvest site, liposuction was also performed at the knee to improve contour.Read more at Aesthetic Surgery Journal.