Aesthetic medicine

Fat harvesting for fat transfer

At NL Clinic, body liposuction serves a single purpose: harvesting a small amount of your own fatty tissue, which the doctor then transfers to the area where tissue has been lost. This is the first stage of fat transfer. We do not perform body contouring liposuction, that is, removing fat from the abdomen, flanks or thighs in order to change their outline. Chin liposuction is a separate treatment, described on its own page.

Published 4 October 2026.

What the harvested fat is used for

The harvested tissue is the material for the graft. The doctor cleans it and prepares one of three fractions. Macrofat is used to rebuild a larger volume, microfat for precise work, for example on facial contours, and nanofat to improve skin quality, because it does not build volume. The doctor chooses the fraction, because the way the material is harvested and prepared depends on it.

The material comes only from the person it will be given to, and it is not stored for later. Harvesting and injection take place during the same visit.

Where the tissue comes from and how much is harvested

Most often from the abdomen or the flanks, and also from the thighs or hips. The harvest site is decided at the consultation. During one treatment the doctor usually obtains 20 to 30 ml of fatty tissue. Harvesting takes place in sterile conditions, under local anaesthesia.

Harvesting is not meant to change the appearance of the area the fat comes from.

What the syringe technique involves

The doctor does not use a suction device. The tissue is drawn out by hand with a syringe connected to a thin cannula with a bevelled, blunt tip, which makes it possible to control how much material is harvested. The cannula is inserted through an incision in a natural skin fold, where the mark is barely visible.

What the day of the treatment looks like

The treatment is performed by an aesthetic medicine doctor. The whole fat transfer, that is, harvesting, preparing and injecting the tissue, takes 60 to 180 minutes, depending on the scope. It is carried out under local anaesthesia, not general anaesthesia.

The treatment is preceded by a consultation with a medical assessment. The doctor asks about illnesses, in particular cancer, thromboembolic conditions and autoimmune diseases, as well as about medicines being taken, pregnancy and breastfeeding. How to prepare for the day of the treatment itself is described in the post on preparing for fat transfer.

Healing at the harvest site

After a fat transfer, two areas heal at the same time: the one the fat was harvested from and the one it was injected into. Swelling and bruising may appear in both, and they usually subside within a few days. The regeneration period lasts 7 to 10 days.

Depending on the scope of the treatment, you need to plan for between a few days and a week of rest. Intense physical exertion is avoided for several weeks after the treatment. The doctor decides whether a compression dressing is needed at the harvest site.

Risks and contraindications

The risks associated with the treatment are swelling, bruising, infection and uneven take of the grafted material. The list of contraindications is longer than for injection treatments, because it covers both the harvesting and the injection of the tissue. They include, among others, active cancer, thromboembolic conditions, autoimmune diseases, pregnancy and breastfeeding, and active infections. The full list is given on the fat transfer page.

About this text

Prepared by the NL Clinic team. Published 4 October 2026.

The content is for information. It does not replace a consultation, an examination or an individual medical assessment.