Fat Grafting Surgery

Fat Grafting is the technique of moving fat from one area of the body to another to improve contour, enhance features or correct defects.

This procedure will remove a patient’s own fat to re-implant it where needed. The fat cells are taken from one part of your body and are injected back into the desired area such as the lips or chin replenishing the skins collagen layer, cheeks, smoothing lines and wrinkles and plumping out the treated area.

This cosmetic procedure can be used to rejuvenate the face, augment the cheeks or lips, or correct problems such as hollowness around the eyes or acne scars. Fat grafting can also be used as a corrective measure when too much facial fat has been removed during a facial rejuvenation procedure like facial liposuction or buccal fat extraction.

When used as a facial filler, fat grafting can improve the creased and sunken areas of the face, and add fullness to the lips and cheeks.

Fat Grafting Consultation

During a fat grafting consultation, you meet and interview a plastic surgeon who specializes in the procedure to go over your aesthetic goals and learn about your treatment options. The surgeon will discuss what can realistically be achieved with fat grafting, review the risks of the procedure, determine the amount of augmentation you will need and lay out the cost. The two of you will also discuss your medical history.

How Is It Performed?

Fat grafting is an office-based procedure that is usually performed under local topical anesthesia. The fat used in fat grafting is harvested through liposuction from elsewhere in your body, usually an area where you have some to spare. The fat is then sterilized, processed and injected into the target site in a process called autologous fat transplantation or microlipoinjection.

Results

Your face may be a bit swollen at first and it might look like you were over-filled. Many surgeons inject extra fat because not all of it will survive in its new location. The swelling will subside and the final results will emerge in three to four months.