Augmentation of the calf region with autologous fat and platelet-rich plasma-enhanced fat transplants: A comparative study

Abstract

Background: Contour and volume deficiencies in the calf region, either unilateral or bilateral, may raise an esthetic concern in affected individuals. There are numerous methods described for volume augmentation or contour reshaping in this region including implant placement, autogenous tissue transfer, liposuction, and/or fat injections. The authors present their series of patients to whom they performed fat injections with or without platelet-rich plasma (PRP) enrichment for addressing this problem. Methods: Fifty-two patients who had undergone calf lipostructuring procedure(s) in our clinic were included in this retrospective study. The procedure was repeated with a fixed value of fat volume per leg until a satisfactory limit for both the patient and the senior author could be achieved. Regarding the analysis of outcome, the number of sessions needed to be repeated was recorded for each patient. Results: 125 cc of fat was injected per session per leg. Ten patients were treated with PRP enriched fat transplants while 42 were treated with fat only. The mean number of sessions was 2.76 (min. 2, max. 6). For the group treated with PRP-enriched fat grafts a mean 2.00 number of sessions had to be carried out while the mean was 2.95 for the patients in the fat-only group. The mean number of sessions to achieve our goal was significantly lower in the PRP-enriched fat injected group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Addition of PRP significantly reduces the need of repeated operations to achieve the best possible outcome in lipostructuring around the calf region. Level of Evidence: Retrospective comparative study, level III.