Facial Fat Grafting

Facial fat grafting is usually a cosmetic procedure to enhance and rejuvenate the face. It can also be used in the following conditions:

• For treating scars
• For treating age-related degeneration of facial muscles
• For reducing wrinkle lines
• For enhancing lip volume
• To treat areas of the face not successfully covered by other surgeries
• For treating undesirable facial changes caused by cigarette smoking, post-trauma scars, and acne

Patients with diabetes and other diseases that generally delay wound healing are not good candidates for facial fat grafting.

It is common after a surgical fat transfer to have:

• significant bruising and swelling
• temporary numbness
• small scars – these will fade, but will not completely disappear
• loss of some of the fat from the injected area during the first few months
• a collection of blood underneath the skin (haematoma)
• death of fat tissue (fat necrosis)
• a blockage in a blood vessel caused by a piece of fat (fat embolism)
• air leaking into the space between your lungs and chest wall (pneumothorax)
• thick, obvious scars – sometimes known as hypertrophic scars
• Any operation also carries a small risk of:
• excessive bleeding
• developing a blood clot in a vein
• infection
• an allergic reaction to the anaesthetic

• The areas to be treated will be marked.
• The site from which the fats are taken (harvest site), usually thighs and hips, and the site, where it is injected (recipient site) are sterilized and draped.
• Local anaesthesia numbs the harvest site.
• Through an incision, a long needle syringe is inserted to extract the fat.
• After extraction of fat, the incision is closed.
• The fat extracted is washed free of oil and blood.
• It is then purified and injected slowly into the recipient sites in the face.

• Avoid massaging the face, to prevent the migration of fat from the treated areas. This will ensure the longevity of the treatment.
• Compression dressings are applied to prevent migration.
• Some amount of oedema and bruising may be visible during the first week.
• You will be asked to follow up for six to eight weeks.
• If you need to repeat the procedure, a three-month waiting period is mandatory.
• If you notice under correction or overcorrection compared to the desired correction, notify the physician.
• If you experience bleeding, oedema for more than two weeks, infections, and damage to any other site, immediately contact the physician.

The cosmetic benefits of facial fat grafting do not last as long as some more invasive cosmetic facial surgeries. Nevertheless, it is the most popular facial rejuvenation technique.