Can Fat Injections Be Done For Calf Augmentation?

Q: I have semi-thin calfs, and I will like to know if there is a common fat injection for calf augmentation without the need of surgery procedures. Thanks.

A: The traditional method of calf augmentation is the insertion of synthetic implants. A newer method is the use of fat injections instead of implants. Whether this will end up being as successful as an actual implant remains to be seen. But do not think that the use of fat injections is not surgery as it most certainly is. Fat has to harvested elsewhere on the body through liposuction to acquire the injection material and then it has to be injected into then calf region. While it may not be as invasive as the placement of a calf implant, it is still surgery.

The biggest risk of fat injection calf augmentation, like fat injections anywhere else on the body, is their survival after transplantation. Even with the best methods that we have today, the reliability of fat injection results remains unpredictable. Any patient considering fat injections must be willing to assume that risk.

One advantage that fat injections does have over implants to the calfs is the ability to augment areas that an implant can not traditionally do. Fat can be injected in a more ‘sculpting’ approach as opposed to the mass augmentation effect of an implant.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana