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Fat Transfer Questions: Common Answers About Facial Fat Grafting

What Is Fat Transfer?

Fat grafting involves injecting harvested adipose tissue underneath the skin to reconstruct traumatic, oncologic, or congenital defects (National Library of Medicine).

Fat grafting may also be used for cosmetic purposes, particularly facial rejuvenation (National Library of Medicine).

Autologous fat grafting refers to fat grafting when the fat is harvested from the same person who will receive it, which is the most common clinical scenario (National Library of Medicine).

Lipofilling or autologous fat grafting is the harvesting and transfer of a patient’s fat or adipose tissue from a donor site to a recipient site where augmentation and/or rejuvenation is desired (PubMed Central).

How Does Facial Fat Transfer Work?

Fat injections use fat harvested from a patient’s own body that can be re-injected to enhance facial fullness, fill creases, or build up shallow contours (American Society of Plastic Surgeons).

The suctioned fat can then be transferred to the face as a graft (American Society of Plastic Surgeons).

Fat transfer is a minor surgical procedure that can be performed in a surgeon’s treatment room or in an operating room (American Society of Plastic Surgeons).

Where Can Harvested Fat Come From?

The most common fat-grafting donor sites are the abdomen, periumbilical area, buttocks, medial, lateral, and anterior thigh (National Library of Medicine).

Fat harvested from the neck may be used, although other donor sites tend to provide higher quality fat that is more likely to survive and produce the desired outcome (National Library of Medicine).

What Happens To The Fat Before Injection?

After fat harvest, additional components such as oil, dead adipocytes, blood, and local anesthetic are also present in the fat solution (National Library of Medicine).

The presence of oil, dead adipocytes, blood, or local anesthetic may compromise graft uptake by promoting necrosis, inflammation, and vasoconstriction (National Library of Medicine).

The processed middle layer is transferred to multiple 1 mL syringes, and the fat is then injected into recipient sites (National Library of Medicine).

A stab incision is then made to provide access to the recipient area, usually with an 18 ga needle (National Library of Medicine).

Once the cannula is introduced into the target area, multiple passes of 0.1 mL are used to deliver fat parcels (National Library of Medicine).

How Predictable Is Facial Fat Transfer?

In the face, most transferred fat usually survives, but results can be a bit less predictable (American Society of Plastic Surgeons).

Multiple fat transfer procedures are typically needed to achieve desired results (American Society of Plastic Surgeons).

Overcorrection is a very common practice to account for future fat resorption of up to 80%, but evidence about definitive survival rates is conflicting (National Library of Medicine).

The potential need for future revision procedures should be discussed because a sizeable portion of patients may need future augmentation due to resorption of some injected fat (National Library of Medicine).

How Does Fat Transfer Compare With Fillers?

Fat injection requires a more extensive procedure than soft tissue fillers (American Society of Plastic Surgeons).

A study reported that autologous fat grafting can be used to correct age-related facial changes and volume loss and may represent an alternative to synthetic fillers (PubMed Central).

A study reported that when facial lipofilling is compared with fillers, it is challenging to determine which treatment is safer due to numerous biases (PubMed Central).

What Safety Issues Are Commonly Discussed?

A study reported that autologous fat grafting to the face is associated with a low incidence of complications, but complications can be dramatic if they occur, particularly in the forehead and temporal region (PubMed Central).

A study reported that autologous fat grafting to the face should be performed by qualified doctors with careful consideration of risks and facial anatomy (PubMed Central).

A study reported that facial lipofilling is associated with a relatively low complication rate, but severe complications can occur, primarily in the forehead and temporal regions (PubMed Central).

All procedures should be discussed with a qualified physician.

Individual results vary.

What Did One Review Report About Complications?

A review found that twenty-two articles including 38 patients reported a total of 58 complications (PubMed Central).

In the review, thirty-two complications were classified as severe or permanent, including hemiplegia (n = 11), loss of vision (n = 7), or skin necrosis (n = 3) (PubMed Central).

In the review, the other 26 complications were classified as mild or transient, such as lipogranuloma (n = 12) or mycobacterial abscess (n = 2) (PubMed Central).

In the review, most complications were reported after injection to the forehead (n = 26) and the temporal region (n = 21) (PubMed Central).

What Should Be Discussed Before Fat Transfer?

Before autologous fat grafting, informed consent should be obtained, and the patient should understand the risks, benefits, and alternatives to the procedure (National Library of Medicine).

The potential need for future revision procedures should be discussed because a sizeable portion of patients may need future augmentation due to resorption of some injected fat (National Library of Medicine).

All procedures should be discussed with a qualified physician.

FAQ

What is facial fat transfer?

Facial fat transfer is a procedure that uses fat harvested from a patient’s own body and re-injects it to enhance facial fullness, fill creases, or build up shallow contours (American Society of Plastic Surgeons). Autologous fat grafting refers to fat grafting when the fat is harvested from the same person who will receive it (National Library of Medicine).

Is fat transfer used only for cosmetic purposes?

Fat grafting involves injecting harvested adipose tissue underneath the skin to reconstruct traumatic, oncologic, or congenital defects (National Library of Medicine). Fat grafting may also be used for cosmetic purposes, particularly facial rejuvenation (National Library of Medicine).

Are results predictable?

In the face, most transferred fat usually survives, but results can be a bit less predictable (American Society of Plastic Surgeons). Multiple fat transfer procedures are typically needed to achieve desired results (American Society of Plastic Surgeons).

What areas are commonly used as donor sites?

The most common fat-grafting donor sites are the abdomen, periumbilical area, buttocks, medial, lateral, and anterior thigh (National Library of Medicine). Fat harvested from the neck may be used, although other donor sites tend to provide higher quality fat that is more likely to survive and produce the desired outcome (National Library of Medicine).

What safety discussion is important before treatment?

Before autologous fat grafting, informed consent should be obtained, and the patient should understand the risks, benefits, and alternatives to the procedure (National Library of Medicine). A study reported that autologous fat grafting to the face should be performed by qualified doctors with careful consideration of risks and facial anatomy (PubMed Central).

This article was produced by Mentis Intelligence for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. Individual results vary. All procedures should be discussed with a qualified physician. For a consultation with Dr. Carlo Honrado MD, FACS, contact (310) 286-0043 or visit drhonrado.com/contact. Content generated by AI (Mentis Intelligence) per California AB 3030 disclosure requirement.

To request a consultation with Dr. Carlo Honrado MD, FACS in Beverly Hills & Century City CA, visit the contact page.

Sources

• American Society of Plastic Surgeons: Fat Injections as Dermal Fillers | American Society of Plastic Surgeons
• PubMed Central: Complications Associated with Facial Autologous Fat Grafting for Aesthetic Purposes: A Systematic Review of the Literature
• National Library of Medicine: Autologous Fat Grafting for Facial Rejuvenation - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf

Related reading

• Fat Transfer vs Fillers Beverly Hills Guide
• Fat Transfer Recovery Beverly Hills Guide
• Facial Fat Transfer (overview)

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