Can You Still Do Fat Grafting if You Are Skinny?

You are right, rachellem. You do have to have some fat to harvest in order to have a fat transfer. While most people have more fat than they would like, patients that have a very low percent body fat may not have as many donor site options. The most common sites that fat is harvested for transfer are those sites where it tends to accumulate, namely the abdomen, flanks and thighs. That being said, fat could potentially be harvested in most places of relative excess. For those patients that are truly "too thin," you risk creating a contour irregularity at the site of fat harvest. 

It isn't impossible to harvest fat for facial fat grafting if you are skinny but it does make it harder to find enough fat. You would probably know best where your surgeon could find fat to liposuction.

You can read more about fat transfer at my web reference link below.

If you are very skinny (e.g. long distance runner, or swimmer), sometimes it can be hard to find any locations to harvest enough fat for transfer. Often times, there are small pockets (even around the love-handle region or inner knees) that can be harvested.

For chin augmentation, I usually find that a small chin implant is a better solution to provide more consistent shape and definition than fat. You should definitely consider that option.

Best wishes,

-Dr. Jamil Asaria

FACE Cosmetic Surgery,

Toronto, Ontario