Patients who cannot walk pain-free now have a solution. Fat transfer to the dorsum of the foot is being widely discussed in the podiatry field. Fillers have made a difference in patients’ lives. For patients who could not walk pain-free and surgery wasn’t a great idea for them, the fat transfer seems to be a better choice. With such improvements value based care becomes even more effective.

Fat transfer is widely accepted in the field of plastic surgery and gives remarkable results in body contouring. Dr. Jodi Schoenhaus says when fat harvesting is done on high-pressure areas of the foot and long-term results have been observed than with injections alone.

Fillers such as Radiesse (Merz Aesthetics) and Juvederm (Allergan) have often been used by plastic surgeons. They are used in hands as there is thinning of the skin and atrophy of subcutaneous tissue. A similar condition is found on the dorsum of the foot.

This fat is generally harvested from the buttocks or the abdomen and it is best to approach a plastic surgeon who can perform liposuction. This is minimally invasive procedure where the patient is wearing compression garments and resumes normal activity after a couple of weeks. The amount of fat that is harvested by the doctor will be much greater than what is needed. Dr. Jodi Schoenhaus recommends that if doctors have an appropriate method to freeze and store any remaining fat, then one can inject the foot while the patient comes over at a later date.