Facial Fat Grafting

Procedure Insights

May be performed with local anesthesia and IV or oral sedation, rather than general anesthesia.
Offers the secondary benefit of body contouring in the area where fat is harvested with liposuction, such as the abdomen, flanks, or thighs.
Leaves minimal visible scarring, as 1-2mm incisions are used for liposuction and fat injection.
Some of the transferred fat will be absorbed by the body during the healing process within a year of surgery, so some patients will require a secondary procedure to reach their goals.

Facial fat grafting is an increasingly popular anti-aging procedure for natural-looking volume restoration using your own living tissue. Fat is harvested using liposuction from donor areas, like the abdomen, and then purified and re-injected artfully where facial features have lost volume with age. This is a popular procedure to combine with a facelift.

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Why Consider Facial Fat Grafting?

Age-related fat loss flattens the mid-face, deepens folds, and leaves hollows around eyes and temples. Fat grafting replaces this lost facial volume with living tissue, while also softening the appearance of deep wrinkles and folds. Results are highly personalized and free of synthetic injectables or implants.

Areas Treated with Fat Grafting

Depending on your personal goals and concerns, fat grafting can be used to restore volume in facial areas including:

Temples
Tear troughs (under-eye hollows)
Cheeks
Chin and jawline
Lips

Fat grafting can also soften the appearance of deep wrinkles, including:

Naso-labial folds
Smile lines
Marionette lines

Ideal Candidates

You may benefit if you:

Have facial hollows, deflation, or contour asymmetry
Possess adequate donor fat (even thin patients usually have enough fat)
Prefer a long-term solution beyond temporary fillers
Are healthy and a non-smoker
Are at a stable weight you are able to maintain post-surgery
Understand that some of the transferred fat will resorb and that a second procedure may be necessary to reach your goals

Fat grafting may not be a safe procedure for you if you have an active infection, uncontrolled diabetes, or a severe coagulation disorder.

How Fat Grafting Works

Harvesting

The first step in fat grafting is liposuction, which removes fat through a 1-2 mm cannula, typically from the abdomen or flanks (love handles). An experienced surgeon can artfully contour areas of stubborn fat, so that the benefits of the procedure are doubled.

Purification

Your fat is then placed in a centrifuge to separate out the desired fat cells.

Injection

Using a cannula, the cosmetic surgeon carefully injects fat in multiple tissue planes of the face, using techniques that encourage graft survival and help you achieve younger-looking facial contours.

Key Benefits

Uses your own tissue to avoid the risk of a reaction or allergy
Can treat multiple areas in one session (cheeks, temples, lips, nasolabial folds)
Can be used to add larger amounts of volume than dermal fillers
Lower long-term cost than repeated dermal filler sessions over the course of several years

Potential Limitations

The amount of fat that is retained after full healing varies from person to person, so you may require a touch-up to achieve your desired results
Grafts will enlarge or shrink if you gain or lose weight
Carries a small risk of prolonged lumps or asymmetry, which may require a revision procedure to correct

Adipose Tissue: The body’s fat tissue, made up of fat cells that can be harvested and transferred for volume.

Anesthesia: Medication used to prevent pain during a procedure; it can be local, sedation, or general.

Augmentation: The act of adding volume to enhance the size or shape of a feature.

Autologous: Refers to tissue taken from your own body, reducing the risk of allergy or rejection.

Autologous Fat Transfer: The process of taking your own fat from one area and injecting it into another area to restore volume.

Blepharoplasty: Eyelid surgery that removes or repositions tissue to improve the appearance or function of the eyelids.

Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL): A cosmetic procedure that uses fat transfer to enhance the buttocks.

Cannula: A thin, blunt-tipped tube used to remove or inject fat with minimal trauma to tissues.

Centrifugation: A spinning process used to separate and concentrate viable fat cells from fluids and impurities before injection.

Consultation: A pre-procedure visit where goals, medical history, and treatment options are reviewed.

Dermal Fillers: Injectable gels, often hyaluronic acid-based, used to add temporary volume; they differ from fat transfer, which uses your own tissue.

Donor Site: The body area where fat is harvested for transfer, such as the abdomen, flanks, or thighs.

Engraftment (Fat Take): The process by which transferred fat establishes a blood supply and survives in its new location.

Eyelid Surgery: See blepharoplasty; often paired with fat transfer to soften hollows around the eyes.

Facelift: A cosmetic surgery (rhytidectomy) that lifts and tightens facial tissues; it may be combined with fat grafting for added volume.

Facial Augmentation: Any technique that adds volume to facial features, including fat transfer, implants, or fillers.

Facial Contour: The shape and outline of the face created by bone structure, muscles, and soft tissues.

Facial Fat: Fat tissue present in the face that contributes to fullness and youthful contours.

Facial Fat Grafting: A procedure that relocates your own fat to the face to restore volume and improve contour.

Facial Fat Transfer: Another term for facial fat grafting; it involves harvesting, processing, and reinjecting your own fat.

Facial Implants: Solid medical devices placed surgically to enhance facial structure; an alternative to fat for certain goals.

Facial Rejuvenation: Treatments aimed at restoring a more youthful appearance, including fat transfer, lasers, and lifts.

Facial Volume: The fullness created by fat, muscle, and soft tissues that gives the face a youthful look.

Fat Cells: Also called adipocytes; the living cells in fat tissue that can survive when transferred to new areas.

Fat Grafting: The broader term for moving fat from one part of the body to another for contouring or rejuvenation.

Fat Injection: The step in fat transfer where processed fat is placed into targeted facial layers using a cannula.

Fat Necrosis: A localized firm area that can form when some transferred fat does not survive, sometimes felt as a small lump.

Fat Resorption: The portion of transferred fat that the body naturally reabsorbs during healing.

Fillers: Injectable products that temporarily add volume or smooth lines.

Fine Lines: Small, shallow wrinkles often improved by surface treatments or subtle volume restoration.

General Anesthesia: Medication that puts you fully asleep during a surgery, monitored by anesthesia professionals.

Injection: The act of placing material, such as fat or filler, into tissue using a needle or cannula.

Lipectomy: Surgical removal of fat tissue.

Lift-and-Fill Facelift: A facelift approach that combines tissue lifting with fat transfer to restore both position and volume.

Liposuction: A technique that removes fat through suction, often used to harvest fat for transfer.

Local Anesthesia: Medication that numbs a specific area while you remain awake and comfortable.

Local Anesthetic: The numbing medication used for local anesthesia to block pain in a targeted area.

Malar Region: The upper cheek/cheekbone area that strongly affects midface contour.

Microdroplet Technique: Injecting many tiny droplets of fat in layers to encourage smooth results and cell survival.

Microfat: Finely filtered fat used to add subtle volume in delicate areas.

Nanofat: Emulsified, filtered fat used by some cosmetic surgeons to address skin quality on the surface; it does not add volume.

Nasolabial Folds: The creases running from the sides of the nose to the corners of the mouth; often softened with fat or fillers.

Periorbital: Referring to the area around the eyes, including the eyelids and tear troughs.

Purification (Fat Processing): Steps used to prepare harvested fat—such as centrifugation—before injection.

Recovery: The healing period after a procedure, when swelling and bruising subside and results settle.

Recipient Site: The area that receives transferred fat to restore volume or improve contour.

Rhytidectomy: The medical term for a facelift, a cosmetic surgery to lift and tighten facial tissues.

Sedation: Medication that relaxes you and may make you drowsy, used with local anesthesia for comfort.

Stem Cells: Cells present within fat tissue that can develop into different cell types; in fat grafting, they may be part of the graft, but the procedure is not a stem cell treatment.

Subcutaneous: Located beneath the skin; a common layer where fat is placed during transfer.

Swelling: Temporary puffiness after treatment as tissues heal.

Take Rate (Fat Take): The estimated percentage of transferred fat that survives after healing.

Tear Trough: The hollow under the lower eyelid that can appear shadowed or sunken.

Temporal Hollowing: A sunken appearance at the temples caused by volume loss.

Tumescent Anesthesia: A diluted local anesthetic fluid sometimes infused into fat before liposuction to reduce pain and bleeding.

Viability (Cell Viability): The health and survival potential of fat cells after harvest and before injection.Volume Loss: The thinning or deflation of facial tissues over time due to aging or weight changes.

The best way to minimize your risk of complications or unfavorable outcomes is to choose a surgeon who holds proven experience with facial fat grafting, the appropriate credentials, and a safe surgical facility.

What Sets ABCS Board-Certified Cosmetic Surgeons Apart?

Comprehensive Examination Process

Candidates must pass a challenging certification exam.
Written and oral exams cover the full scope of cosmetic surgery and evaluate knowledge, surgical judgement, technical expertise, and ethics.

Specialization in Cosmetic Surgery

Unlike other surgical boards, certification is entirely dedicated to cosmetic surgery.
Surgeons must demonstrate expertise in a full range of modern aesthetic procedures of the face, breast, and body, including nonsurgical.

Commitment to Ethical Practice

The ABCS conducts a thorough screening and background check on each applicant.
Diplomates pledge to act ethically, compassionately, and with the utmost integrity in all aspects of their professional and personal lives.

Continuing Education

Diplomates complete ongoing requirements to stay updated with the latest advances in cosmetic surgery.
Maintaining board certification demonstrates a lifelong commitment to excellence.

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Fat Grafting vs. Dermal Fillers vs. Chin/Cheek Implants

When it comes to restoring facial volume or adjusting facial contours, fat grafting is only one of several effective options to discuss with your cosmetic surgeon. Below, compare fat transfer with temporary dermal fillers and permanent facial implants to understand the pros and cons of each option. And be sure to ask your cosmetic surgeon about which benefits each option may offer in your consultation.

	Fat Grafting	Dermal Fillers	Implants for the Cheek and/or Chin
Longevity	Fat remaining after 1 year is permanent	6-24 months	Lifelong
Tissue feel	Soft, natural	Soft to firm	Bone-like
Volume range	Small to large	Small to moderate	Moderate to large
Procedure time	1-2 hours surgical time	15-30 minutes in-office	45-90 minutes surgical time
Repeat visits	Possible touch-ups	Regular maintenance	Rarely needed
Scarring	Tiny hidden incisions	None	Hidden in the eyelid or mouth

Combining Fat Grafting with Other Procedures

While it can be performed as a standalone procedure, fat transfer is one of the most frequently combined procedures. Cosmetic surgeons may recommend combining it with one of these other facial cosmetic procedures:

Facelift to restore both structure and volume
Blepharoplasty (eyelid lift surgery) for under-eye or upper eyelid tightening
Skin resurfacing (i.e. with laser, RF, and/or microneedling) to refine skin texture and pigment
Rhinoplasty, chin implants, or cheek implants to harmonize overall facial balance

Certain procedures can be combined in a single surgery, while others may need to be spaced apart at different times. Talk with your surgeon to learn about the benefits and risks of both options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Studies have found that a certain amount of the grafted fat will be re-absorbed by the body within the 12 months following surgery. Expect to retain about 40-70% of the fat after this time.

To decrease your odds of needing a second procedure, choose a surgeon with expert technique, and follow after-care instructions carefully.

Common harvest sites include the abdomen, hips, flanks, or thighs—areas that typically carry a small cushion, even in lean patients.

Transferred fat cells gain or lose volume like the other fat cells in your body, so gaining weight will change how your results appear. Your cosmetic surgeon will talk with you about making sure you are at a stable weight you are happy with before the procedure.

Fat transfer restores volume, but does not tighten skin or reposition deep tissues. Many patients with crepe-like or sagging skin in the neck and around the jawline combine grafting with lifting procedures for comprehensive rejuvenation.

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Schipper JAM, Tuin AJ, Loonen TGJ, Dijkstra PU, Spijkervet FKL, Schepers RH, Jansma J. Volume and patient satisfaction, 5 years of follow up after facial fat grafting. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2025 Mar;102:231-237. doi: 10.1016/j.bjps.2025.01.052. Epub 2025 Jan 29.

Nasim S, Nasim H, Kauke M, Safi AF. Autologous fat grafting for cosmetic temporal augmentation: a systematic review. Front Surg. 2024 Sep 20;11:1410162. doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2024.1410162.

J.A.M. Schipper, A.J. Tuin, T.G.J. Loonen, P.U. Dijkstra, F.K.L. Spijkervet, R.H. Schepers, J. Jansma, Volume and patient satisfaction, 5 years of follow up after facial fat grafting, Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, 2025.