Fat transfer to the face is a natural, non-allergenic procedure with an extremely low complication rate, designed to re-contour your face and can provide definition to your cheeks and chin using your own tissue. Fat transfer, also called autologous fat transplantation, micro-lipoinjection, or lipostructure, plumps up facial features sometimes taking 10-15years off of your appearance and is a popular alternative to other wrinkle treatments. It can also be used to correct facial and other deformities. Since fat transfer uses your own fat cells, you can never have an allergic reaction.

General Procedure

Fat is extracted from the abdomen, thigh, buttock, or other area and is called the “donor” site. The fat is then filtered to remove excess fluids. The amount of fat removed could be measured in teaspoons to tablespoons and therefore does not dramatically reduce the amount of fat in the “donor” site (unless something like a buttock or hip groove is being augmented- then a lot more fat is used). Using special instruments, the fat is then carefully woven into the facial structures to create fullness and definition.

Recovery

Smaller volume transfer (for example in-office procedures to cheeks or lips), require 5-7 days of “downtime” while larger transfer procedures require approximately 2 weeks of downtime. Approximately 30-60% of the fat will be permanent, however most patients see how they could look after about 2 weeks when 100% volume of fat is still present. Many decide at that point to schedule a second procedure for optimal results that will last for years. The majority of patients are up and around immediately following fat injections. Any discomfort following the procedure can be controlled with medication.