During a fat transfer to the lips, how much fat get reabsorbed by the body and how much survives in the lip?

Hi,Thanks for the excellent question. My observations agree with your thinking.  I have been performing fat transfer to facial and body areas for over 10 years.  We have found fat transfer to midface and around the eyes to have good take rates of 50 to 80%.  Unfortunately, fat grafting the the lips and around the mouth areas tend to have lower take rate (50% or less in our experience).  It may be due the high degree of movement of lips and peri oral areas that causes this.Fat at transfer works escellent results also for Brazilian buttock lifts and filling lateral thigh depressions in our VASER Liposelection cases, but just doesn't seem to do as well for the lips.The Hyuaronic fillers do very well for the lips and perioral lines.Best regards,

Dear Lisaham,

Lip augmentation can be a very desirable aesthetic
enhancement procedure. More recent “off
the shelf” fillers such as Juvederm Voluma, Juvederm Volbella, Juvederm Vol
Lift and even the Restylane SubQ can provide long-term lip augmentation results
that last between one and two years. Fat
transplantation to facial and body areas can also be very successful. I have been performing fat transplantation for
25 years and my observations come on much like those who have injected micro
fat transfers in large numbers find that non-animated areas of the face such as
the infraorbital (under the eye), temporal hollows, upper cheek bones and jaw
line, even the nasal dorsum lasts quite long, generally with 60-80% survival
and two years or more longevity. More
animated areas such as those around the mouth, the smile lines, Marionette
lines and lips are subject to more mechanical stress and mimetic motion this
results in decrease take of the fat, often 50% or less and less longevity,
frequently less than 18 months. With
long lasting off the shelf sugar gel fillers providing relatively little
swelling and no bruising and the prolonged swelling associated with fat grafting. Fat grafting to the lips alone if you’re not
undergoing cosmetic facial surgery or fat grafting to other facial areas seems
to have less value than it did in the past.

These are the factors that one must consider when deciding
whether fat grafting to the lips alone is a procedure of choice. I would seek the consultation of plastic
surgeons with extensive fat grafting experience, as well as off the shelf
filler experiences prior to deciding whether this is something you’d like to
proceed with. One last thought, if
undergoing multiple or single zone liposuction often then utilizing that fat to
augment various areas of the body such as the breast, buttock, facial areas,
including the lips can be an adjunctive benefit while recovering from your
liposuction zones. Usually Vaser Lipo is
the best and gentlest form to provide the harvest and preserve adipocyte
derived stem cell survival.

I hope this information has been of some assistance and best
of luck.

R. Stephen Mulholland, M.D.

Certified Plastic Surgeon

Yorkville, Toronto