Facial Fat Grafting


For long-lasting facial wrinkle reduction and lip plumping, your own fat can be extracted via liposuction then injected into your face and/or lips with a procedure called facial fat grafting, or fat transfer. Fat grafting is a popular alternative to temporary facial fillers such as Juvéderm® and Restylane® and can produce significantly longer-lasting, natural-looking results using your own body tissues.

What is Fat Grafting or Fat Transfer?

The fat transfer process involves gently harvesting fat from a donor site on the body (usually the buttocks, abdomen or thighs) using liposuction, purifying the extracted fat and then placing the fat via injection or other technique into areas of the face that are lacking volume.

Note that laser liposuction and Smart Lipo are not appropriate for harvesting fat, as lasers do not properly preserve fat cells for transfer.

Fat Transfer with Fracto-Fat Technology

In addition to performing regular fat injections, Dr. Quereshy offers procedures involving fractionated fat, also referred to as fracto-fat, to blend the lid-cheek junction and in the upper eyelids and lateral brow areas, places which often show early signs of hollowing due to the aging process.

Safe and effective, fracto-fat includes viable fat cells which aid in the regenerative process. The benefits of using fractionated fat harvesting and facial filling for cosmetic facial volume restoration include a lack of fat nodule formation, Additionally, the presence of stem cell activity within viable fat cells provides the potential for improving skin quality as well.

Local anesthesia or sedation anesthesia is typically used during the fat transfer procedure. The amount of time for the fat transfer procedure will depend on the number of areas you wish to address and the severity of the volume loss in those areas.

Lip augmentation, cheek augmentation and wrinkle correction are the most common applications of facial fat transfer, however fat transfer is also occasionally performed to treat under-eye hollowness.

Fat Grafting Recovery and Results

Most patients require only a few days to recover after fat grafting and are back to work within a week of the procedure. Swelling, bruising and discomfort will mostly subside within a few days of the fat grafting recovery period, however it can take 2-4 weeks to completely resolve.

Following facial fat grafting, try to keep your face as immobile as possible, as facial movement can diminish your fat grafting results. Initial results will be visible within three months.

Fat grafting results vary greatly, as your body may re-absorb some of the fat transferred to your face, and additional treatments may be needed to provide you with the results you desire. However, if your fat grafting treatment is successful, you can enjoy your fat grafting results and restored youthful volume in your face for years to come.

Fat Grafting or Fat Transfer in Cleveland, Akron, Medina

You can learn about the fat transfer procedure and all cosmetic surgery options by scheduling an appointment at Visage Surgical Institute. Call us at Visage Surgical Institute Medina Office Phone Number 330-721-2323 or send us an email using the online contact form.