What is the difference between fat grafting and fat injections?

By truckin916 on 04 Mar 2010

I recently had a lower face lift and have been left with "roping". My surgeon wants to improve the appearance of the jawline with fat injections. I have been reading a little about this on the internet and want to know if this is an exceptional "fix" and also what is the difference between fat injections and fat grafting?

Comments (4)

harl
11 months ago

how much is the face fat injection?

extrordinair
3 years ago

I am nervous about having fat transfer to my face. I worry that it will be painful and possibly lumpy and yet I am not happy with the way I look. I don't know what to do.Can you give me some assurance? I am a 74 year old lady who has had two face lifts and yet the idea of fat is frightening to me. Can the fat accumulate in one spot heavier than in another? thanks, Extrordinair * would you recommend fat transfer for someone my age?

Samuel Lam, MD
2 years ago

fat transfer if done by someone who has done hundreds of cases and does so with great care should be very rare to have any lumpiness. i have only had 2 cases in all the ones that i have done and they were easily managed. i literally wrote the book on it, Complementary Fat Grafting. i also did my own mother who almost 71 years old, and i did it 3 years ago. best, sam lam

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Robert C. Langdon, MD
3 years ago

There's really no difference. Fat grafting is any transfer of autologous (from the same patient) fat tissue from one part of the body to another. By far the most common technique of fat grafting is to obtain fragmented fat parcels by liposuction (using a low vacuum, generally via syringe suction). The fat parcels (actually clusters of fat cells) are "refined" (usually by centrifugation) to separate them from anesthetic fluid and blood cells, and transferred to small syringes for precise injection into the recipient area (most commonly the face).

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