Will a fat transfer survive in this area of my face?

Question

I am 33 years old & have recently (past 5 years) noticed deep nasal folds and puffiness on the sides of my mouth. I don’t mind the upper nasal folds, but these lower deep hollow areas next to my mouth, along with the puffiness really take a toll on me mentally. I am looking to get fat injections in my cheek area, but my question is, will fat injections survive in the area of my nasal folds that I described? I know they don’t do well in nasal folds, but what about the area near my mouth? Thanks!

Zoran Potparic, MD · Answer

We do not frequently use fat grafts for treatment of the areas around mouth; it doesn't seem that grafts take is as predictable as in other areas (cheeks, around eyes, breasts, buttocks). For your needs, hyaluronic acid based fillers would provide satisfactory correction in skillful hands. Good luck.

Thomas A. Mustoe, MD, FACS · Answer

Yes there is no reason why fat will not survive in any well vascularized area if placed in small aliquot.  However facial motion decreases fat persistence in areas of maximum motion.  It is possible that you would get a modest improvement but overfilling would not look natural.  Some of what you have is skin relaxation.  Be
Careful to retain a natural appearance.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

Marionette lines are inherently difficult to treat.  even with ideal volume restoration using fillers Daria does not always respond the way patients had hoped.  It’s a dynamic area and the contour is simply not made up of volume or lack of volume. There is different types of tissue and muscle pull at different layers creating these facial contours.

Fat transfer is not good for small precise volume corrections.

I do not think it’s a good option for the area you’re concerned about.

I suggest working with fillers because they’re more forgiving, far more precise and predictable.

Even so you need to recognize that the problem is not that somehow you lost volume in this area.

Understanding facial aging and facial dynamics is a complex topic.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom MD

Will a fat transfer survive in this area of my face?

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Will a fat transfer survive in this area of my face?

Answers (3)

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Everything you need to know about Facial Fat Transfer

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.