Options to Correct Over-filled Cheeks After Fat Graft?

asked 3 years ago by gkola in boynton beach, florida
Latest answer by Ronald Shelton, MD
Question viewed 1,509 times
Tags: cheeks

Months ago, I had fat grafted to my upper face, and I get depressed looking at my photos before. I looked so much better before. My cheeks are overfilled and crooked.

I'm pregnant now (6 months) and cant' do anything about it, but I'd like to have some hope for future. I want to get my face back ASAP. Help... what are my options to fix this?

5 answers to Options to Correct Over-filled Cheeks After Fat Graft?

Overfilled Cheeks after Fat Grafting - No Easy Treatment

Commonly, it is the other way around: patients want even a little more cheek volume after successful fat grafting ... In your situation I wonder if your presumed pregnancy related weight gain has contributed to the overfilled facial appearance. Maybe, if you are successful in returning to your normal weight afterwards, the facial appearance will be acceptable to you. In case of true overfill, there are no easy options. In the rare patient (I remember one who had fat overfill more than 8 years ea more

Frank P. Fechner, MD
Worcester Facial Plastic Surgeon

Speak to your doctor

You should speak to your surgeon who did the procedure. Possibly after delivery of your child and when you finish breast feeding, you might undergo facial liposuction with a small cannula to remove some of the grafted fat. It may cause significant bruising and it could cause depressions in the skin. Corticosteroid injections may thin out some of this fat but it could also cause depressions and the amount and concentration of the steroid needs to be quantitated so you don’t receive too... more

Ronald Shelton, MD
Manhattan Dermatologist

Fat graft is a living tissue

Micro Fat grafting is a wonderfull technique that allows improved survival of the fat cells. Now ,the transplanted fat cells act as a living tissue. When you gain weight through pregnancy or otherwise, the transplanted fat will increase in volume as well. The good news is that following delivery your face will get bak to its normal volume and shape. Hope that helps!

Hisham Seify, MD, PhD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Options for excessive facial fat injections.

I have had this occur once with a patient who noted marked growth in the injected facial fat with pregnancy. Once the pregnancy was completed, much of this went away but one persistent area was treateed with a microcannula liposcution and steroid infiltration. There is no guarantee of the result but it is an option.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

You should be able to get help

Depending on the time of placement, usually 50% or more of the fat will resorb over time, it usually takes many months for this to occur. If you still have some fat that you do not like there are things that can be done such as mild steroid injections and spot liposuction. I would contact your surgeon. Best of luck to you.

Samson Lee, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

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