Fat transfer to hips n bum

[Jennygirl]

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Well with the disclaimer out of the way...

Hi guys and gals!! (well probably mostly gals on this one ) It's almost another year and with a whole new set of goals and challenges that lie ahead for me. I've been having to postpone my SRS on repeat due to a dicey situation where I live, so that is on the backburner until September or maybe even later due to circumstance. Who knows. All I know is, lately I've been feeling great with my body as is and I am not feeling any pressure in that department to have it done. I know I will someday, but I don't want to rush it.

What I AM super excited about, though, is that I've officially made the decision to move forward with some body feminization of another kind and a lot less talked about. Literally, this desire was my first indication of dysphoria... Why I am waiting until almost the very end to tackle it is kind of unknown to me.. I guess save the best for last? In my head, perhaps. Honestly, I think I have been giving the estrogen time to have its way with my body before doing anything there. And while HRT has indeed helped me in huge ways, I still desire a little bit more in the hip department. I blame it on my history! More on that to follow

I have indeed decided to move forward with a fat transfer to hips and bum, ideally sometime in late winter or early spring this year. If you could live inside of my mind, you would know how incredibly exciting this is. I have dreamed of having a more curvaceous body for practically my whole life! I can hardly believe it's finally time.

There are two main reasons why I am posting it here. #1) I am just so flipping excited I had to tell someone and #2) I know that I am not alone when it comes to struggling with some dysphoria from hips. I want to detail my journey in this process, because honestly I haven't been able to find much on the internet for trans girls. I have found a lot with cis females, but nothing for the trans ladies. This one is for y'all. Well, and for me too

I have been researching several methods and doctors for at least a decade. The research predates my transition and even coming out to myself... I was looking into this stuff even before I really had a grip on being trans Hopefully this is all starting to make a little more sense.

Anyway, on with the research for how to get a bigger hip/bum:

Methods (PLEASE, oh please, read the disclaimer up at the top too, we can't have anyone talking about illegal stuff)
-Exercise
-Implants
-Chocolate
-Fat Transfer

Exercise:
The problem with this one is that I don't like to exercise. I am very much an "applied strength" type of person. I am super busy, and don't really have the time to add a gym regimen. Plus, that's too hard haha

Implants:
The problem with this one in my eyes is that they can come out looking unnatural, and on top of that there are very few options for augmenting the HIP which is my primary area of interest. Also, implants are very rough in that area of the body. The recovery is HARSH. Complications are common, and even the best doctors have difficulties. It's just not an area I'd want to be putting an implant. Honestly I don't really want implants at all, but that is just my decision. They work wonders for some people obviously

Chocolate:
The problem with chocolate (and other calorie adding methods) is that it is not really my desire to be overweight just to have a bigger posterior, because that means the rest of my male pattern fat areas get bigger as well. Being that most of us transition sometime after first puberty, the fat cells have formed where they form. There is no changing that. It is my understanding that our bodies can store things differently within these fat cells (aka HRT fat redistro), but ultimately we will not see a complete reversal in body shape without some kind of more drastic modification. I have witnessed this to be true. I have noticed my measurements change over the two years I've been on hormones, but it has been a more subtle change than I would like.

Fat Transfer:
The clear winner in the debacle, for me at least. Low risk, low complication, fully customized result. The only worry I have with this method is having enough "donor fat" to move to the areas I want. It also has the added benefit of fully reorganizing the fat cells on a body to better match that of a cis female. Once you have an area transferred somewhere else, if you gain weight it goes there and behaves as the old area did. Pretty neat if you ask me!

Okay sorry for the super long winded post. If you're still with me, then awesome. I have gone back and forth between implants and fat transfer for years, mainly due to the fact that normally I am rather thin, with not much extra fat to spare. I have found several doctors who are good with implants, but I was still never sold on them due to the possible complications and rough recovery. It honestly sounds harder than SRS!

When it comes to finding a doctor for Fat Transfer, it is quite different. There are loads of doctors who perform this surgery, but that is both good and bad. Good being that there are lots to choose from, bad being WHO do I choose?? Gah. So many options! Basically it comes down to preference and their artistry of the procedure. It comes down to before and afters, much similar to FFS and SRS. Here are some of the many doctors I have checked out, in no particular order:

Surgeons:
Dr. Cerpas (Tijuana)
Has a good rep for implants and comes highly recommended, very caring. Still, not down with implants

Dr. Campos (Tijuana)
Has easily one of the best (if not THE best) reputation in Mexico for making patients incredibly happy. Specialty procedure: Brazilian Butt Lift aka Fat Transfer to Butt & Hips. I am incredibly impressed with the before and afters.

Dr. Cardenas (Guadalajara)
Has a great reputation with trans girls, offers a multitude of procedures. Butt and even hip implants, and fat transfer, along with the more well known FFS procedures. Hip implants were of interest to me, but I was somewhat leery after realizing that there would be such a large scar for entry of the implant. Apparently also does amazing fat transfer work

Dr. Markmann (Baltimore)
Has one of the best reps in the US, also probably the most expensive option. Seems to have a lot of research backing the procedure. Great results, but I was not as much a fan of the art. Personal opinion! Fat Transfer specialist.

Dr. Hughes (Los Angeles)
On par with Markmann in terms of great reputations for US surgeons. Has amazing results and incredible patient satisfaction. I have been watching this one for a long time. Fat Transfer specialist.

Dr. Ghavami (Los Angeles)
Seems to be a top contender with Hughes in Los Angeles, a bit pricier but results are great. Fat Transfer specialist.

Dr. Salama (Miami)
Another top contender, not as expensive. Fat Transfer specialist

Where I am at now
I could go on and on here, I think you are getting the picture. There are tons of doctors out there, I have spent way too many hours digging on realself and contacting them for information. After everything, I have basically settled on Kenneth Hughes in LA. He has one of the top reps and happens to be located about 2 miles from where I live. I am scheduling my consultation for early 2015 with hopes of getting somewhere good on the waiting list.

In the meantime, I am intentionally gaining a little weight so there is more to move. There is some controversy among surgeons whether having extra weight is a good or bad thing. The consensus seems to be that extra weight is okay NOT at the expense of general health. I am adding about 10-15 extra lbs and staying just as active as I am normally. I am generally a very healthy person, I don't see gaining 10-15 as being that huge of a risk factor. I'll know more after my consultation, but I've already seen reports of Dr. Hughes saying it's fine if his patients want to gain a little weight before the procedure. So, I am taking advantage of the holiday season I suppose

If anyone has anything to share.. info, pictures, opinions, please post it. Research is an ever evolving process as we all know. I plan on detailing my experience with it here, in hopes that it might help someone else interested in the same thing.

I'll be amazed if you got all the way through that. My fingers hurt

[kelly_aus]

I've looked in to lypo-transfer, I'm looking to move some of the belly a little higher up the torso..

Seems the gold standard is a 2 stage procedure.. Fat is removed and cleaned/stored.  Stem cells are cultured and returned to the fat.. Which is then injected back in to you.. Seems the additional stem cells aid in the transfer taking. IIRC, up to 50% loss could be expected without the stem cells.. And about 20-30% with.

Given that I also have issues with my breast shape, implants might be the better option for me. But, depending in cost, I might try lypo-transfer first.

[AnonyMs]

I was researching fat transfer a while ago, and the one thing that really stuck me was how great it all sounded, yet how few reports I could find of people actually doing it. You'd think it would be ideal. It made me somewhat suspicious actually.

[warmbody28]

I had fat transfer of this kind you speak of and it turned out pretty darn well (for me at least). The first three days after were crappy. So uncomfortable. But after that surprisingly easy. And even a year later i retained like 60-70% of the fat transfer. The surgeon told me he only transferred 150cc which initially made me really mad. But like he said, I already had some hips and that was the perfect amount to add for me. I was pleased in the end and so was my boyfriend at the timeZ. He loved the extra stuffs to grab on too

[Lynne]

Jenny, thanks for sharing another part of your journey! I'm looking forward to hearing more after your consultation and your experiences after the procedure.

You say "Once you have an area transferred somewhere else, if you gain weight it goes there and behaves as the old area did. "

I'm concerned because of the same thing what AnonyMs said:

"...one thing that really stuck me was how great it all sounded, yet how few reports I could find of people actually doing it. You'd think it would be ideal. It made me somewhat suspicious actually."

I'm very interested in the long term effects because this could be great for my girlfriend and myself too. I understand that not all of the fat is guaranteed to be retained but how does that work after a few years?

[kelly_aus]

Jenny, thanks for sharing another part of your journey! I'm looking forward to hearing more after your consultation and your experiences after the procedure.

You say "Once you have an area transferred somewhere else, if you gain weight it goes there and behaves as the old area did. "

I'm concerned because of the same thing what AnonyMs said:

"...one thing that really stuck me was how great it all sounded, yet how few reports I could find of people actually doing it. You'd think it would be ideal. It made me somewhat suspicious actually."

I'm very interested in the long term effects because this could be great for my girlfriend and myself too. I understand that not all of the fat is guaranteed to be retained but how does that work after a few years?

IIRC, it depends on whether the transfer 'takes' and achieves proper vascularisation.. If a proper blood supply is created, then yes, the fat will be maintained - including new deposits or loss, depending on the bodies needs.

[spooky]

I am booked with Dr Salama in February.   Very excited.

[Jennygirl]

Really happy to see these great responses

Kelly- I have looked into the stem cell enriched transfer a lot. I just haven't found any doctors that offer that where I like the results very much. It's like you can have one or the other, a fat transfer that sticks perfectly or looks perfect and loses some volume. There seem to only be a few doctors offering it. Maybe you have found one that I haven't? You seem to know a lot about this procedure as well. Thanks a lot for sharing your input, it is much appreciated

AnonyMs- Yes I have gone back and forth between the idea of FT and implants for a very long time, but finally settled on FT. Too many reports online. On realself, the brazilian butt lift case satisfaction is a whopping 93%. Holy wow on that!

warmbody28- Can I ask what your pre-op weight/height was? I think one of the main reasons I like Hughes' work is that he is not afraid to give the patient what they want. Some want big, he is willing to go big. I want moderate, and I'm already pretty happy with my butt profile. It's the hips that get me! I have also seen that hips are a hard area to inject into for some, because the skin tends to be more taught there. I would imagine this was the case for you? Could be the case for me too, really looking forward to the consult with Dr. Hughes.

Lynne- It's absolutely my pleasure to share this here. I've kind of done that for all the previous procedures so it only seems natural for me to do it with this one too. It's definitely obvious that we need more experience reports just for trans girls. Realself and sites like that are great for the cis-population, but the trans experience is practically nonexistent!

spooky- Congrats! Ahh I have read so many good things about Salama. He is just so far away from me. If I lived in Miami, I would go to him in a heartbeat. If he offered the stem cell enriched approach, it might be enough to sway me towards him! Oh, and if you wouldn't mind sharing your height/weight that would be extra interesting for me to know. I think with us trans women, we tend to be a bit taller and finding good examples of our height/weight class is more difficult when there are so many 5'1" - 5'4" cis females reporting their pre op weights.

Btw, I am currently 5'8" weighing in at around 141. I was down to 125 at the beginning of 2014, but I've been intentionally slowly gaining a little weight because I think I look healthiest around 135. I've gained some past that now, too, in prep for having a little more to move around.

And on the stem cell enrichment stuff.. I have also read about PRP (platelet rich plasma) which is added by extracting it from the blood and mixing with the fat to be transferred. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of doctors do this. I'm hoping that Hughes employs one of the two methods to increase fat survival, but I also believe that it depends a lot on the skill of the surgeon and technique when lipo-ing out of the body as far as survival. I would imagine injecting just the right amount of tumescent fluid has something to do with it. Hoping to know more after my consult. Reading online can only get you so far!

Thanks again for all the great responses, this seems to be a very positive conversation and I appreciate it a ton!

[Natalie]

Give it time. I literally gained 50 pounds (went from 125 to 175) and it all went to my thighs and butt. Now I am contemplating liposuction just to get rid of some of it.

[lilacwoman]

over last winter I put on about 10pounds and it gave me lovely hips but then I dieted it off during summer and autumn and now got slimmer hips but with small waist I still have nice enough shape to really make some of the ladies jealous at our club Xmas lunch other day.

I was surprised at how quickly the diet took fat off my hips so I wonder about the long term stability of injected fat and whether it spreads smoothly or just look slumpy like some collagen/botox injections do?

I used to watch the various Housewives of...' and some of those had not very nice lumps and hollows on their faces when they were due for another series of injections.

[Seras]

I think the coolest part of fat transfer is that if you have residual male fat storage you can take it out and put it somewhere better. Even if it doesn't take because of cell migration or whatever due to being on E the fat cells are at least not in their old locations and won't go back. I am going with the chocolate method though since having lost all my muscle after being on HRT i went down to 120lb @ 6 foot  ( :O). In the last three weeks though I have put on almost 9lb. Its pretty awesome I have to say. Seems to be working well for me since before HRT I only weighed about 126lb anyway.

[Jennygirl]

I think the coolest part of fat transfer is that if you have residual male fat storage you can take it out and put it somewhere better. Even if it doesn't take because of cell migration or whatever due to being on E the fat cells are at least not in their old locations and won't go back.

^^ This. Yes!!

I am going with the chocolate method though since having lost all my muscle after being on HRT i went down to 120lb @ 6 foot  ( :O). In the last three weeks though I have put on almost 9lb. Its pretty awesome I have to say. Seems to be working well for me since before HRT I only weighed about 126lb anyway.

Good for you, sounds like a bit of weight gain will do you a lot of good. 120 @ 6'?? That seems almost dangerously skinny! I thought I was way too skinny at 125 @ 5'8". I have a small frame but yours must me supa-slim!

Give it time. I literally gained 50 pounds (went from 125 to 175) and it all went to my thighs and butt. Now I am contemplating liposuction just to get rid of some of it.

Sounds like you got the pear shape gene. I probably wouldn't do this if I had it. A lot of the weight does go to hips n bum, but a lot of it also goes to belly and lovehandles. I've been on a mega high dose of the 'mones for a little over 2 years now, and I just don't feel like waiting any longer. You probably have different prefs than me. I would be totally happy having an extra 50 in my butt as long as it was nicely shaped, lol. Seriously.

It's all just a matter of preference. Sorry to hear you aren't happy with things, but it sounds like you know that it's an easy fix with a little lipo. I bet you'll have a great result from that, actually I have no doubt! I would think it is much more easy to sculpt by taking away than having to do a two step take-away and add. I would consider yourself lucky!

I was surprised at how quickly the diet took fat off my hips so I wonder about the long term stability of injected fat and whether it spreads smoothly or just look slumpy like some collagen/botox injections do?

I think the lumpiness depends a lot on the skill and detail of the surgeon, and why some surgeons gain such great reputations- as with any kind of plastic surgery. The ones that have a detailed and artistic eye are held up on a pedestal. Luckily the internet makes it pretty easy to see who is on top of their game. Websites like realself are amazing resources for this sort of thing, patients can post before/afters without consent of the doctor- it really makes for an open source way of reviewing and helping others make educated decisions based on shared experience. That's kinda what I hope to do here, I might also double it up on realself. Haven't decided yet.

[warmbody28]

im 177.8 centimeters and 64.86kg. i agree with you. some doctors are not into giving you what you want.

[Jennygirl]

Lol, did you convert from std to metric to get those numbers? They convert back from decimal to whole numbers! Haha!

You are very close to exactly the same height/weight as me at this current moment, though I think I've probably put on about 5lbs more eating so many christmas cookies Anyway, it makes me happy to hear it worked out well for you!

What was the choice of donor area(s)? Besides everywhere else, I am noticing I am getting quite a bit on my upper abdomen, just below the boobs. Not too sure if they can lipo there... I sure as heck hope so!

[Jennygirl]

Consult is scheduled for Jan 6th with Dr. Hughes. Exactly one week from now.

I gained a small amount of weight, now at 144. Just talked to my friend who gave me the suggestion of a raw vegan diet that could be good to both gain weight and increase my immune response before surgery. It's basically half sprouts, rice/quinoa, lots of olive/hemp oil, and a protein such as hummus. There are other options but there is no sugar and it is about 80/10/10 carbs/fats/protein. He suggested upping the fat portion by a lot to get more calories, and to try to fast for as long as possible during the first part of the day and try to eat as big of a meal as possible. Basically, what sumo wrestlers do Slow down the metabolism by skipping breakfast, then eat in excess of 500 calories in one sitting. I'm still doing some of the research on my own before embarking. But, I am starting to skip breakfast.

[Seras]

I went with the eat until I feel sick diet.

Normally with a huge breakfast of a bag of rice and some sausages or bacon, a reasonable lunch and then again a nice big dinner. Snacks when possible. Far as I can tell it is all about the calories.

[Jill F]

I had lots of that happen over the holidays so far.   I shall spill my secrets...

Cheesecake
Pumpkin pie
Cookies
Chocolate
Beer

No surgery necessary.  I even got some bigger bewbs as a bonus...

Act now and I'll throw in a free double chin and flabby thighs.

*le sigh*

[Jennygirl]

I went with the eat until I feel sick diet.

Normally with a huge breakfast of a bag of rice and some sausages or bacon, a reasonable lunch and then again a nice big dinner. Snacks when possible. Far as I can tell it is all about the calories.

Yeah that has been happening to me too, the eat until almost sick thing.

Today I did the fasting before lunch. Literally had nothing more than a glass of water right when I woke up, and another glass when I got to work.

I was thinking about lunch options and decided to go to In N Out at around 2:45p, actually ate 2 cheeseburgers and about 80% of animal fries. about 1600 calories by my calculation, and I know that the fasting made it easier to get everything down. Sidenote: I don't want to be doing this kind of stuff for much longer, this is probably the most unhealthy way to gain weight. Luckily it "kind of" balanced out when I came home to one of my roommates cooking a huge family style vegan dinner with baked potatoes and tons of fixin's to make a mash of monster proportions. I piled my plate high and ate a ton! Brussel sprouts, 3 smallish baked potatoes, beets, kale, onions, hummus type sauce, and mushrooms. YUM. I have also been reading you tend to eat more calories in a social setting, and I definitely shocked myself with how much food I put down.... I think that was around 8:30. Then as a nightcap, I had a huge fudge brownie that one of my roommates brought back from the cookie shelf at work! ...Back to not being so balanced I would say I definitely got close to 2700 if not 3000 calories or more today, and with the fasting early in the morning my metabolism should have been a little slowed down for lunch. I feel like giving myself a pat on the back!

I really do believe in the skipping breakfast thing. I dunno why, it just makes perfect sense to me- and that particular tidbit seems to be everywhere online. We'll see if it actually works for me. I have a feeling it will.

At the very least, something is definitely working. I am getting kinda pudgy and not in a way I've really seen on myself before having a moderately high metabolism. Honestly it's kinda fascinating me, hah! I don't think it's noticeable to others yet, but I have to be getting darn near close to that mark. To me it's a huge difference, the one thing that keeps me from feeling the least bit bad about it is knowing it's going to be for a good purpose. I never did think that gaining weight past ideal BMI could actually be exciting, but it is in this case! I just want to get on that healthy train soon, can't be doing this fast food stuff for much longer or my body will probably become very unhappy with me... and that is not what I want (especially during recovery, but really at all too).

Act now and I'll throw in a free double chin and flabby thighs.

I am already seeing that I'll likely be accepting your offer at some point during this lead up process. I'd already been thinking I would have him do the under chin area, being genetically predisposed to that. I've had the flabby thighs for a few weeks now, but I don't mind that one bit. Kinda like the way they squash out- I dunno why people always complain about them!

[Jennygirl]

Oh and forgot to mention, it seems that most of the weight is going to my outer thighs (just below my hips) and my belly and lovehandles. I just noticed I can pinch an inch on my outer thighs. My guess is he will have no problem injecting into that area. 2 or even 1 year ago, I barely had any fat there. To get fat transferred there then would probably have failed, skin was too tight and not enough underlying tissue. Now at 2 yrs it is completely different, thank you estrogen!

[Seras]

That's cool. I literally feel the exact same way

I am pretty sure it is all good anyway. I don't think it is possible to break your metabolism, when you have a quick metabolism like this all you have to do to lose weight again is go back to eating like a normal person! Only problem is how much money I have to spend on food to do this. First world problems incarnate.