Are fat grafting injections safe and effective in very hollow temples when there is little fat/muscle?

Fat grafting is an excellent option for durable (long-lasting) volume restoration of the temples.  When performed by an experienced fat transfer surgeon, it is very safe and you will most likely have a nice result with one treatment.  We perform these procedures regularly.Hope that helps and best wishes,Dr. Donath

I find this to be one of the gratifying procedures in my practice. I combine all my fat with PRP and patients get very long lasting results.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Fat grafting to the temporal depression can be done safely.  However, if not done properly it can result in irregularities in the area.  Injection has to be done slowly to avoid a fat embolism.  

One of the notable hallmarks of facial aging is volume loss. Volume loss of the temple area is a substantial underlying cause of upper facial aging with resulting brow descent and temporal drooping. With substantial volume loss the bone and ligament attachments in this region can become visible, accentuating the aged appearance.Autologous fat transfer is a very effective tool for soft tissue volume augmentation throughout the face, especially in the temple region. Each area of the face has its own unique microenvironment in regards to movement and vascular supply which can affect the longevity of the fat injected.  The temple happens to be an area where there's not much movement, but the microvasculature is limited; this results in slightly less fat longevity as compared to other parts of the face.Fat transfer techniques that utilize every possible step to optimize longevity are useful in this area. Using micro canula aspiration – not machine liposuction - as well as low rpm centrifuge techniques are useful in optimizing longevity. Sometimes using albumin can maintain the oncotic pressure gradient. These are all small optimizations to provide the longest possible longevity, and these are techniques that are recently published in the literature.Injection of the fat with a blunt tipped cannula is a technique that has almost no risk of intravascular injection.  This location does require more overfill to provide the best possible long-term results, and sometimes a second treatment is required to achieve the final goal.  Fortunately modern fat transfer techniques are reliable, have relatively low down time and are relatively low risk. I hope this is helpful to you, and I wish you the very best for a good outcome. Try to consult with a surgeon who has a lot of experience with facial fat transfer.

While fat grafting is an acceptable method of temporal augmentation, its take is not always permanent and symmetric. Implants place in the subfascial location in the temples is a simple and permanent solution to temporal hollowing.

It can be done safely.  Trust someone who has done this many times and understands the anatomy.  If the temples are very thin it may take more than one treatment to get the desired volume.Good Luck !  Mark Boschert MD

Fat transfer has become a very popular procedure, and can be done to any part of the face that has suffered from a loss of volume. The temples can be injected safely if performed by a Certified Plastic Surgeon.

Fat grafting has become a popular procedure nowadays because it uses the patient's own fat, thus eliminating the risk of rejection and allergic reaction, which could happen with the use of synthetic implants and fillers. If your temples are very hollow, you may need two or more procedures performed months apart; the idea is to build a scaffolding where additional grafts are injected at a later date. Assuming the procedure is performed by a qualified plastic surgeon--i.e., certified by ABPS, has done hundreds of fat grafting, and is considered an expert in this field--it is notably safe and effective. Hope that helps.