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Facial Fat Transfer

Facial fat transfer, also known as fat grafting or lipofilling, is a natural approach to facial rejuvenation that uses your body’s own fat to restore lost volume, smooth deep lines, and revitalize a hollow or aged look. Unlike synthetic fillers, fat transfer harnesses living tissue from your own body, making it a biocompatible option with results that can last for years rather than months.

As the face ages, it loses the volume and skin elasticity that provide softness and dimension. It’s not uncommon for patients to notice flat cheeks, hollow temples, shadows underneath the eyes, and/or a lack of jawline definition. Board-certified Salt Lake City plastic surgeon Jared Garlick, MD performs facial fat transfer to address these changes at the root, replenishing volume where depleted and reshaping your facial contours.

What are the Benefits of Facial Fat Transfer?

By reintroducing fat cells into areas of the face affected by diminishing volume, patients can enjoy restored fullness and rejuvenation that outlasts the results provided by dermal fillers like JUVÉDERM® and Restylane®. Not only does facial fat transfer provide long-term volume enhancement, but this technique can also improve the following signs of aging: 

  • Volume loss in the cheeks and midface: One of the most visible signs of facial aging is flatness or lack of definition in the cheeks. As the fat pads of the midface diminish and descend, the face loses its lifted, rounded quality and may start to look flat. Fat grafting can restore fullness to the cheeks in a way that looks and feels entirely natural.
  • Hollow under-eyes and tear troughs: The tear trough, referring to the groove that runs from the inner corner of the eye down towards the cheek, becomes more pronounced with age and volume loss. This creates a sunken or shadowed appearance that can make individuals look chronically fatigued. Carefully placed fat grafts in this delicate area can soften the transition between the lower eyelid and cheek, reducing darkness and restoring a rested, refreshed look.
  • Sunken or hollow temples: The temples are often overlooked in facial rejuvenation, yet hollow temples can contribute significantly to an aged appearance. Filling the temporal region can  restore the smooth contour that characterizes a youthful facial profile.
  • Deep nasolabial folds and marionette lines: While the formation of nasolabial folds (parentheses wrinkles) is natural, deep or harsh folds can make the face look aged or stern. Fat transfer can reduce the depth of these creases and soften your overall facial expressions.
  • Lip borders and perioral lines: Not only do the lips thin and lose definition with age, fine lines also typically develop in the surrounding skin. Fat transfer can restore volume to the lips, as well as improve the vertical lines above and below the mouth often known as “smoker’s lines.”
  • Jawline and chin refinement: Beyond simple volume restoration, fat grafting can be used to sculpt the lower face, adding definition to a receding chin, softening a sharp or angular jawline, or filling in areas that create an uneven profile.
  • Overall facial gauntness: For patients who appear excessively thin in their face due to genetics, significant weight loss, or illness, fat transfer offers a way to achieve a healthier, fuller appearance across multiple zones in a single procedure.

Am I a Good Candidate for Facial Fat Transfer?

In order to achieve the most successful outcome from facial fat grafting, it’s essential for Salt Lake City and out-of-town patients to have adequate donor tissue in the hips, abdomen, or thighs. While a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon is the only way to determine whether you would benefit from facial fat transfer, good candidates for fat injections generally:

  • Exhibit signs of facial aging such as depleted volume or a flat, sunken, or thinning look
  • Are healthy enough to undergo liposuction for the fat-harvesting component of the procedure
  • Want more natural and biocompatible results than cosmetic filler products
  • Seek a more long-term solution than injectables
  • Have realistic expectations for the outcome 

In some cases, fat grafting may not be the most beneficial treatment to address signs of aging in the face. For those who prefer non-surgical cosmetic treatments or those whose concerns are encompassed by skin laxity rather than volume loss, Dr. Garlick also offers cosmetic injectables and facelift/neck lift surgery, respectively, to more effectively achieve your goals.

How is Fat Transfer to the Face Performed?

Facial fat transfer is performed in three distinct phases: harvesting, processing, and re-injection of fat cells into the face. During your consultation, Dr. Garlick will assess your facial proportions, map out the zones to be treated, and evaluate potential donor sites. On the day of the procedure, general anesthesia is administered before a small cannula is inserted at the donor site — most commonly the abdomen, flanks, or inner thighs. Fat is extracted using liposuction and the harvested fat is then purified to remove blood, fluids, and damaged cells, leaving a concentrated preparation of healthy fat ready for transfer.

This purified fat is then injected into the targeted areas of the face in multiple passes, establishing the blood supply that cells need to survive. The donor and recipient incisions are relatively small and leave minimal scarring. The results typically unfold over the following weeks and months and the surviving fat remains for good, allowing long-lasting rejuvenation.

What Can I Expect From the Facial Fat Transfer Recovery Period?

Recovery from facial fat transfer is manageable for most patients, although final results emerge gradually over the next several months. Swelling and bruising are expected immediately after the procedure and the face may appear fuller than the intended final result due to post-procedural swelling. Most patients take at least one week off from work, but can usually perform light activities within a few days. By the second week, bruising has largely faded and many patients return to work, with any residual swelling and puffiness subtle enough to conceal with makeup.

Some degree of fat resorption is a normal and expected part of the process, which is why experienced plastic surgeons account for this by slightly overcorrecting at the time of treatment. By the three-month mark, the fat that has successfully integrated and established its blood supply is considered permanent. Surviving grafts are long-lasting, behaving like native tissue rather than dissolving in the same way as cosmetic fillers. Strenuous exercise and heavy lifting are restricted for two to three weeks, and sun exposure to treated areas should be minimized during the early recovery phase.

How Much Does Facial Fat Transfer Cost in Salt Lake City?

Fat grafting in Salt Lake City, Utah can be much more affordable than procedure costs in other regions of the country and rates are often significantly more economical when compared to similar metropolitan cities. That said, there’s no universal quote for surgery and the cost of fat transfer to the face is personalized from patient to patient based on their unique desires for volume enhancement. On top of your geographic location and the expertise of your plastic surgeon, the main factors that influence pricing include:

  • The amount of transferred fat necessary to achieve your goals
  • The extent of your concerns and facial volume loss
  • The location of the planned treatment site(s), such as the tear troughs, lips, cheeks, nasolabial folds, etc.

While insurance coverage generally doesn’t apply to aesthetic procedures like facial fat transfer, our Salt Lake City-area practice aims to make high-quality plastic surgery more accessible and accepts plastic surgery financing from approved applicants through PatientFi® and Cherry Financing. Please contact our office to learn more about the cost of fat transfer to the face and/or your financing options.

As a board-certified and fellowship-trained plastic surgeon, Dr. Jared Garlick is well-versed in achieving natural-looking rejuvenation with modern facial fat transfer techniques. To discuss your goals with Dr. Garlick in a private consultation or to speak with a friendly member of our team, don’t hesitate to contact our Salt Lake City practice today.

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