Facial Fat Grafting

It can look proportionate when conservative volumes are placed in appropriate planes, but no instrument or technique guarantees a natural result. Early swelling exaggerates volume, and uneven survival, lumps, overcorrection, migration, fibrosis, or baseline asymmetry can affect the final appearance.

Fat grafting requires harvest surgery and can treat several areas, but survival is unpredictable and overcorrection or lumps can be difficult to remove. Hyaluronic acid requires no harvest, is temporary, and may be dissolved, but can cause swelling, migration, blue discoloration, and vascular occlusion. Both carry rare vision-threatening vascular risk in the face. Volume and duration vary; fixed 100 cc, 1 cc, or 5–10-year claims should not determine the choice.

There is no reliable guaranteed percentage. Survival varies by donor fat, processing, recipient blood supply, injection volume and plane, smoking, health, weight change, and complications. Swelling and early volume are not surviving fat; the result is usually assessed after several months, and staged treatment may be safer than deliberate overfilling.

Possibly, but prior product, amount, location, timing, complications, and imaging or records should be reviewed. Fillers, biostimulators, permanent materials, scar tissue, infection, or unknown injections can alter anatomy and risk. They are not always in a separate, noninteracting layer, so do not assume there is no conflict.

Facial swelling and bruising are commonly visible for 1–2 weeks and can be marked during the first several days. The donor area also has bruising, swelling, compression, and small scars. Residual fullness, firmness, asymmetry, and graft survival continue changing for several months.

Yes. Surviving fat cells can enlarge with weight gain and shrink with weight loss. Major changes may alter facial proportions and symmetry. A stable weight before and after surgery supports more predictable contour but does not stop aging.

Suitability depends on health, donor tissue, facial anatomy, and anesthesia. Report diabetes, seizures, bleeding or thrombotic disorders, abnormal scarring, allergies, cardiovascular disease, eye or neurologic disease, prior facial surgery, and all injectables—including unknown or permanent materials. Active infection or inflammation should be treated first. Elective surgery is generally deferred during pregnancy; breastfeeding requires assessment. Patients under 18 need a legal representative. Provide all medicines and supplements and do not stop aspirin, anticoagulants, hormones, or prescriptions without the prescribing physician. Avoid smoking and alcohol as instructed, follow fasting rules, and arrange an adult escort.

Take medicines and attend follow-up as directed. Keep donor and injection sites clean and dry until cleared, and do not press or massage grafted areas unless instructed. Contact the clinic urgently for heavy bleeding, rapidly increasing swelling, severe pain, fever, pus, skin color change, weakness, speech difficulty, or any visual symptom. Avoid smoking, alcohol, soaking, swimming, heavy lifting, and strenuous exercise for the specified period. Do not start or stop medicines without advice.

Possible complications include bleeding, infection, scars, donor-site irregularity, prolonged swelling, asymmetry, lumps, fibrosis, oil cysts, calcification, fat necrosis, under- or overcorrection, migration, nerve symptoms, and revision. Rare intravascular injection can cause skin necrosis, stroke, or permanent vision loss. Sudden pain, blanching or mottled skin, neurologic symptoms, or any visual change is an emergency.