Fat Transfer

Fat-injection is also known as autologous fat transplantation or micro-lipoinjection. Your plastic surgeon will use liposuction to extract fat cells from your abdomen, thighs, buttocks or elsewhere. The fat is then reinjected beneath the facial skin to fill in contour irregularities and wrinkles. Fat can be used to correct various imperfections, such as: fill in sunken cheeks or lines between the nose and mouth, correct skin depressions, minimize forehead wrinkles or enhance the lips.

How the Procedure Works

After cleansing and treatment with local anesthesia, fat is withdrawn using a syringe with a large-bore needle or a liposuction cannula. The fat is then prepared and injected into the recipient site with a needle. Sometimes an adhesive bandage is applied over the injection site. Slight overfilling may be necessary to allow for fat absorption that occurs. When fat is used to augment the cheeks, this over correction may cause the face to appear abnormally full.

After Your Procedure: What to Expect

While some treatments require a brief recovery period, many patients resume normal activity right away. Expect some swelling, bruising or redness in both the donor and recipient sites. The severity of these symptoms depends upon the size and location of the treated area. Stay out of the sun until redness and bruising subsides - usually about 48 hours. In the meantime, you may use makeup with sunblock protection to help conceal your condition. In some cases, swelling and puffiness in the recipient site lasts several weeks, especially if a large area was filled.

How long do results last?

While some patients report results lasting 1 year or more, the majority of patients find that at least half of the injected fullness disappears within 3-6 months. Therefore, repeated injections may be necessary. Your doctor will advise you on how to maintain your results with repeat treatments.