Facial fat grafting is good if you want to add natural-looking volume to certain places in your face. A facial fat transfer may improve wrinkles, like laugh lines, Crow’s feet, or even smile lines. Transferred fat can also improve the appearance of any acne scars and pitted areas you may have in your skin. You may also enhance your cheeks and lips for a more youthful appearance.

With results similar to an injectable dermal filler, like Restylane, a facial fat transfer is a great choice if you’d like your results to last much longer. In order to be a candidate for facial fat grafting, you need to have enough extra fat on areas of your body to be able to meet your goals. Dr. Hanz can help you decide if this procedure will be a good fit for you.

Facial fat grafting is a two-step surgery that includes liposuction of fat and transferring that fat to a specified area of your face. Since only a minimal amount of fat is needed, Dr. Hanz typically uses local anesthesia. To begin, Dr. Hanz will perform liposuction to extract fat, which may come from your flanks (love handles), hips, or abdomen. When the fat is removed, it will be processed, cleaned, and prepared for injection.

Dr. Hanz will use different injection angles and techniques to ensure the highest immersion rate into your skin and to create evenness throughout. According to your treatment plan, fat may be grafted to your lips, cheeks, and/or under your eyes to add volume, as well as to fill in wrinkles and facial scars.

After your facial fat graft, your liposuction incisions will be stitched and cleaned before you are sent into recovery. Dr. Hanz or a member of his staff will apply dressings and watch you until you can be sent home with a family member or friend. Your recovery will be different based on the amount of fat that is removed and grafted, but you need to plan to take 1 – 2 weeks to rest and heal.

You will likely experience some swelling and bruising at the liposuction site(s) along with the transfer site(s). You might notice some improvements immediately; however, it typically takes a few weeks until you can see your full results. A small amount of fat might be reabsorbed, but with appropriate maintenance, your results should last for several years.

Costs for your facial fat graft will vary, depending on the amount of fat removal and the volume being transferred. After a thorough assessment, Dr. Hanz will determine how much fat is required to achieve the desired volume and develop a custom plan.

Then, he can calculate costs, like facility and anesthesia fees. To help make your treatment easier to afford, Kevin R. Hanz, M.D. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery accepts many payment methods and can help you find low-interest medical financing.

Both a fat transfer to the face and a dermal filler (like JUVÉDERM and Restylane) can correct the appearance of lines and static wrinkles while also restoring volume to your face. Although dermal fillers can give you great results, a facial fat graft often looks more natural and lasts longer.

If you need help deciding how much fat you want added to your face and where, Dr. Hanz may suggest starting with dermal fillers. As soon as you have figured out what you want, Dr. Hanz can schedule a fat transfer for results that last years instead of months.

Facial fat grafting can be combined with a nonsurgical treatment, such as BOTOX (a wrinkle relaxer). A fat transfer is also a popular treatment to complement another cosmetic surgery. A fat transfer can increase volume to improve the balance of your face, which enhances the surgical results of a facelift, neck lift, or chin augmentation.

Talk to Dr. Hanz during your consultation about your needs and wants so he can create a comprehensive plan with surgical and nonsurgical procedures that help you reach all of your goals.

The length of time needed for your facial fat transfer will vary, depending on how much fat is being taken, plus the volume needed to give you your desired results.

As soon as your plan is created in your initial consultation, Dr. Hanz can go over what you can expect and how long it will take. Dr. Hanz takes his time to carefully place thin layers of fat with innovative techniques so your outcomes look natural and refreshing.

Facial fat grafting can be used in several locations to add volume or reduce lines. A fat transfer is great to augment the mid-face so that this area appears lifted and fuller without surgery. Additionally, it can also be used to add volume to your upper and/or lower lips. You may also get a fat transfer to improve the hollow or sunken under-eye areas.

A fat transfer to your face can also treat scars and wrinkles as an added bonus. Dr. Hanz will create your unique treatment plan to address one or more areas of your face based on your needs and goals.