What to Expect From a Microfat Procedure
It’s usually well tolerated, takes just over an hour in our office, and produces excellent results.
Many published studies demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of using your own body’s fat, processed into a substance called micro-fragmented adipose tissue, or in other words, microfat. Microfat is used in musculoskeletal medicine to treat many conditions, including joint pain, osteoarthritis, and tendinopathies.
How Does it Work?
The only place to obtain tissue that contains enough viable cells to help heal your own musculoskeletal tissues is from autologous (your own) bone marrow aspirate (BMA), or autologous fat harvesting. Bone marrow aspiration is more painful and has lower yields of many viable autologous cells than microfat.
Adipose tissue (fat) is an excellent source of stromal cells, mesenchymal stem cells, vascular cells (pericytes), and endothelial cells. These cells support the body’s own repair process by binding to the injury site and releasing chemical messengers which help repair damaged tissue. Additionally, microfat has anti-inflammatory properties and provides physical lubrication and padding.
Because these cells originate in your own body there is no risk of rejection and minimal risk of infection. Your own microfat helps focus your body’s ability to heal.
We use an FDA-cleared and compliant process for preparing microfat that has been in clinical use for several years. The processing system is called MiniTC and is made in the United States by Jointechlabs.
The Procedure
The entire process takes an hour or so and is done in our office. You are comfortable throughout, and only a local anesthetic is used for this minor surgical procedure.
- While you are laying down, your skin will be cleaned with a surgical skin cleaner. We mark the collection site, usually on your belly, buttocks or thighs, with a surgical marking pen, and inject a local anesthetic solution. This solution numbs the area, makes the fat (adipose) easier to collect, and minimizes any under-skin bleeding.
- After the area is numb, a cannula (similar to an injection needle, but thicker and perforated to accommodate fat cell removal) is placed under the skin, and the adipose is gently withdrawn. You may feel momentary pressure or a twitch, but this is usually a comfortable process. We use liposuction to remove a small amount of belly fat. It’s comfortable, fast, done in-office under local anesthesia – and you lose a small amount of fat!
- The aspirated fat is then processed in about 20 minutes using the MiniTC system, which gently washes the adipose with saline and uses a centrifuge to separate and remove oils, anesthetic, and other debris while filtering and exposing the desired cells so they can best facilitate injury repair. The system is closed loop and not exposed to the environment, so sterility is maintained throughout.
- We numb the skin at the injection site and then precisely inject your own microfat into the injury site with a small needle. There is virtually no chance for complications due to rejection because the injected microfat is from your own body.
Recovery
You may remove any bandages after a day. Avoid immersion in water for three days and showering for one day after your procedure.
You may use acetaminophen for mild pain, but avoid NSAIDs (ibuprofen, aspirin, naproxen, etc.) as they counteract the inflammatory effect of the procedure. You may apply 10 minutes on 10 minutes off heat or ice therapy on the liposuction area if you wish.
Unless otherwise instructed by our staff, move slowly through your full range of motion after three days, but for one month avoid specific activities that were painful before treatment.
If needed, physical therapy may start two to four weeks after the microfat injection depending on the injury. Pain reduction and gradual improvements in function should occur eight to twelve weeks after injection.
Learn More Today!
This therapy helps our patients recover from orthopedic issues in a less invasive way while avoiding unnecessary surgery. Please contact us today so we can determine whether microfat injections are right for you!