Depends on many factors such as timing

Sirish Maddali, MD answers: Facial fat graft feels hard post-procedure

I had an analogous fat transfer to the upper cheeks and orbital region. The fat feels hard like a rock underneath the skin. Is this normal? Should I massage it? I can also feel uneven areas on the outmost region of the cheeks. Does hardness indicate that the fat cells died in the process? What should I expect from here?


Sirish Maddali, MD
12 months ago
By Sirish Maddali, MD - Bay Area Plastic Surgeon

Fat transfer to the face can have hard areas that are felt soon after the procedure. There is usually a fair amount of swelling that can lead to this. If patients feel hard areas "like a rock" much later (months), then it could be that the fat has calcified and hardened. Usually this does not happen for a large area. Patients usually have very specific areas that are hardened due to calcification. Those areas will need to be closely evaluated. If it is very hardened fat (calcified), then an option is to surgically remove those areas via tiny incisions.

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