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Don't Do It! Gave Me a Chubby/pig Look After Fat to the Cheeks

I had a fat transfer procedure done 3 months ago...

  • 29 Aug 2010

I had a fat transfer procedure done 3 months ago to the cheeks and I'm praying it will all dissolve and go away. However, I'm already consulting another plastic surgeon to see what they can do to correct the pig look this fat grafting did. I wish I did more research to realize that the satisfaction rating for this procedure is very low. I had fat placed in my cheeks and trust me, it looks awful.

What most people don't realize is that when you change a feature on your face, it highly impacts everything else, and not always in a positive way. The end result of my procedure gave me chubby cheeks and that pig look. This is actually quite common from my more recent research. If you're thinking about this, go to someone that specializes in doing faces only, but even then I would think twice until this procedure improves.

Well, I'm 1 year and 8 months post the fat...

  • 10 Feb 2012
Well, I'm 1 year and 8 months post the fat grafting. The lumpiness has gone, and I look better than at the beginning, but still have the chubby cheeks. If this procedure was something I was happy with, I guess I would be very excited with the longevity of the fat graft. However, that's not the case here. My guess is that at 20 months post surgery, I'm stuck with this. I think the worst part about this is that surgeons will overfill with the expectation that a good portion will be absorbed back in to the body. Unfortunately, that didn't happen with me.

Great review?

My Doctor:

My rating:

I wouldn't recommend this doctor for fat transfer because I don't believe this is his speciality.

Comments (10)

Nick_Male_40 14 May 2013
As a follow up, I had microliposuction to remove the excessive fat and couldn't be happier with the results. My doctor said it will be 3 months before I see the full results, but even after almost one month it's a huge improvement and I no longer have the chubby look.
Unoq 29 Jul 2011
Boston male, I'm in a similar boat. I understand what you're saying. I think I'd have to become a bonafide anorexic before my own pig look wears off. It's been one year almost for me. How much would you say your dr added and how much do you believe it dissipated?
I'm looking into various removal methods myself. I'm trying non invasive ones for now, until I finish with things and can go to consult for more serious correction.
quno
lee in sc 18 Mar 2012
give us a update on your face. have you done anything different yet.
Nick_Male_40 11 Jul 2011
I think Cecil is being naive here, or clearly doesn't understand what fat grafting is. Exercise and diet aren't going to reduce the fat (I exercise 6 days a week, and follow a strict diet). It's now been 1 year and 3 weeks post treatment and I've not seen any changes, e.g. reduction in fat. Of course, if you wanted the fat to stay, this would be awesome, but not so in my case. Might bode Cecil well to do some homework before posting comments.
popthehood 1 Jan 2012
I'm curious too. What percentage of the fat do you think reabsorbed?

And also, if you're looking into lipo for the excess fat, I'd say be careful. I'm in a bad situation after facial lipo and 1.5 years later, I have practically no natural fat left on my face from atrophy post procedure. I think after the initial results, the injured fat not intended to be lipo'd out dies off resulting in an emaciated, 3rd wold country citizen look.
Nick_Male_40 3 Jan 2012
I think probably 10% at best reabsorbed. I don't look as bad as before, but still look chubby, which I never looked like prior to the fat grafting. I'm now 1 1/2 years post procedure. At this stage, I don't think I'll do anything but wait to see what new procedures come onto the market.
Tom at RealSelf (Community Manager) 8 Jul 2011

Cecil - are you certain about your advice, as it relates to reducing the effects of fat transfer? Can you cite a reference that could help others in the community with this concern?

Cecil Kelly 8 Jul 2011
You can still lose face fat the natural way if some surgery did not work very well. Do cardio exercises like walking, running, and swimming. Include some fruits and vegetables in your daily diet to make sure you are getting the right amount of nutrition to boost your metabolism to burn fat faster.
Nick_Male_40 27 Oct 2010
It's been 5 months since I had this done and very slowly the fat is dissipating. Not so good if you want to keep your results, which I DO NOT. I can still see some lumps from where my doctor filled the fat unevenly, but it doesn't look as bad overall. I still have chubby looking cheeks, but I'm hoping the fat will go away completely within the next 3-4 months. If you're thinking of doing this procedure, think twice, because it's not something you can reverse.
Sharon at RealSelf (Community Manager) 29 Aug 2010

Thank you for sharing and so sorry to hear about your unhappy results. Please do followup with us, how you resolved this...

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