Plastic Surgery
What Is Facial Fat Grafting?
Last reviewed: May 2026 · Haute MD Editorial Team
Facial fat grafting (facial lipofilling) is a procedure that harvests fat from the body, processes it, and injects it into specific areas of the face to restore volume lost with aging, improve facial contour, and create a more youthful appearance. It is commonly performed alongside facelift surgery to address the volume component of facial aging, which surgical lifting alone cannot fully correct.
Areas treated with facial fat grafting
Temples (hollowing with age), tear troughs (under-eye hollowing), cheeks (mid-face volume loss), nasolabial folds (deepening grooves between nose and mouth), marionette lines (lines between mouth corners and chin), lips (for subtle volume), chin, and jawline.
Facial fat grafting vs. fillers
Facial fat grafting provides more natural, permanent volume restoration in a single session. Fillers are temporary (6-24 months), reversible, and require no surgical recovery. Fat grafting is ideal for significant volume loss requiring large-volume correction. Fillers are better for maintenance, targeted corrections, and patients who prefer non-surgical options.
What to expect
Donor site liposuction produces modest bruising and soreness (1-2 weeks). Facial injection sites have swelling that appears dramatic in the first 2 weeks and significantly over-corrects the final appearance. By 3-6 months, the surviving fat settles into its final volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can fat grafting be repeated?
Yes. For patients who want additional volume or whose first treatment produced less survival than desired, a second fat grafting session can be performed.
Is facial fat grafting safe?
Facial fat grafting by an experienced surgeon is a well-established, safe procedure. Rare risks include fat necrosis (death of transferred fat forming lumps), infection, and overcorrection.
Does facial fat grafting change with weight loss?
Since transferred fat behaves like native fat, significant weight loss after fat grafting can reduce the volume achieved. Maintaining a stable weight helps preserve results.
What is the recovery from facial fat grafting?
Facial swelling and bruising last 2-3 weeks. Patients often look significantly overcorrected initially. Final results are apparent at 3-6 months as swelling resolves and surviving fat stabilizes.
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Dr. Daniel Careaga
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Plastic Surgery · Coral Gables, FL
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Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
Plastic Surgery · Boca Raton, FL
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Dr. Samuel Lin
Double Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
Plastic Surgery · Boston, MA
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