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I Am 7 Weeks After my Full Face Fatgrafting and the Fat is Almost All Gone is This Normal?

asked 6 months ago by nicky in san diego ca in san diego ca
Latest answer by Thomas A Lamperti, MD
Question viewed 263 times
Tags: 2 months post-op, no change, normal

14 answers to I Am 7 Weeks After my Full Face Fatgrafting and the Fat is Almost All Gone is This Normal?

Transferred fat needs good blood supply to survive.

I find that usually about 50% of the fat remains, and it can be up to 70-80% for some people. Fat grafts need a good blood supply in order to survive, and this can be one of the biggest contributors to unsuccessful fat grafting. Those who smoke often have a compromised blood supply and are at bigger risk for unsuccessful fat transfers. It's unlikely that all the fat has been reabsorbed after just 7 weeks unless it did not have a good blood supply. Also a thing to... more

Robert N. Young, MD
San Antonio Plastic Surgeon

Survival of at grafting to the face.

It's a little unusual for the fat to be completely gone in 7 weeks. Probably the swelling, which can be significant, is gone and it looks less volumized by comparison. However, fat grafting is very technique oriented. When done by someone experienced, the survival can be up to 70-80%. Fat must be harvested very tediously, prepared carefully and by specifically nd then inbjected by the smallest of amounts (like micro-droplets). Fat grafts must be small enough to aquire a blood supply fo... more

E. Ronald Finger, MD
Savannah Plastic Surgeon

Fat Grafting

For fat grafting to truly represent 'grafting', the grafted tissue must gain a blood supply in its new location which provides a source of oxygen and nutrients and allows the tissue to persist indefinitely. If the grafted fat does not acquire a blood supply in the first few weeks after surgery, the body will gradually break it down and dissolve it, and no long-term benefit will be achieved in terms of soft tissue augmentation. Successful fat grafting surgery therefore requires a... more

Michael Law, MD
Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon

michaellawmd.com

It is very likely that the fat is still there.

There is no substitute for reviewing photos. Unless your surgeon really did not put much volume in, there is no reason to believe that the fat is gone. Generally 60-70% of the grafted fat survives. However, what is true is that the swelling associated with the fat grafting disappears around this time frame creating the impression that the fat volume has disappeared. It is for this reason that I am not a big fat transfer fan. It is a set up to want more grafted... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD
Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

Fat graft

Fat graft to the face is very technique sensitive and experience matters.One should expect at least 60-80% of the fat to stay long long term. Review this with your surgeon and compare to the preoperative pictures. Or consult another Board Certified Plastic Surgeon (American Board Of Plastic Surgery).

Samir Shureih, MD
Baltimore Plastic Surgeon

Fat Grafting at 7 Weeks

Fat grafting to the face should persist much longer than 7 weeks. I have found the improved facial contour from fat grafting to last years not weeks. There are very few patients which have required "touch ups" or additional fat grafting in my practice. I believe the manner in which the fat is harvested and the location the fat is harvested from affects the longevity of the fat graft. In addition, I have found that patients who are on a low carbohydrate diet after fat grafting to... more

Richard Ellenbogen, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Fat grafts gone at 7 weeks?

It's common to feel as though the grafted fat is disappearing as the post-treatment facial swelling goes down. In my experience, it takes many months for the final fact grafting result to become evident. Studies show that the fat grafts continue to 'blossom" up to 18 months or so after surgery.

Thomas A Lamperti, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

7 week post fat grafting

It is not uncommon for patient to feel that the injected fat is all gone after the initial swelling goes down. I would suggest being patient and then evaluating the outcome, preferably comparing pre-op and post-op photos at 3-6 month.

Sam Naficy, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

seattleface.com

I Am 7 Weeks After my Full Face Fatgrafting and the Fat is Almost All Gone is This Normal?

IMHO, fat transfer or grafting is not as reliable as cheek implants or off the shelf soft tissue filelrs like Perlane or Radiesse. For that reason, I do not uise fat grafting for shaping and contouring the face. I want something that's relaible each and every time and that certainly isn't fat, IMO.

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Fat Survival After Facial Injection

The take of fat after injection into the face is both unpredictable and variable. I have seen results that range from complete loss of the fat to fat injection sites that actually have overgrown and need to be reduced later. My observation is what you see in most cases by three months is the amount of fat that has taken and survived. If your perception that by nearly two months after surgery all the fat is gone, then that is likely true. Is this a normal result?...yes it can be. Is is what... more

Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD
Indianapolis Plastic Surgeon

Before and after picture would be helpful

Fat grafting like any other procedure will depend on the surgeon's skill and patient's tissue. We do not have access to your before picture,amount of fat grafting and your after picture. It would be impossible to make comments about the results. You need to discuss your concerns with your surgeon.

Kamran Khoobehi, MD
New Orleans Plastic Surgeon

Fat Grafting

Unfortunately, fat grafting can be unpredictable as to its "take" or viability. At this point, I don't think that you have had much take and the procedure will need to be repeated or you will need to consider another alternative like injectable fillers.

Donald Griffin, MD
Nashville Plastic Surgeon

Predictability of Fat grafting

Although fat grafting is thought of as an ideal filler, as it is a patient`s own tissue, it can be somewhat unpredictable. Viability of the fat cells is dependent on the tissue becoming revascularized and is probably best done by multiple injections of small amounts of fat. The procedure is very technique-dependent and is an area of significant interest and research in plastic surgery, presently.

Stephen Delia, M.D.
Boston Plastic Surgeon

Fat grafting success is very variable.

After years of fat grafting we continue to tell our patients that the amount retained is very unpredictable. Patients who seem to do most poorly are: very thin patients - they have poor donor sites patients who are loosing weight very athletic patients. smokers We continue to alert patients that more than one sessions may be needed and that outcomes are very variable. Unfortunately your result is not unusual. Dr. Mayl Fort Lauderdale more