Is it worth going to an expensive facial surgeon for fat grafting?

Question

I am unsure how specialised facial fat grafting is and if it is worth going to a very expensive facial surgeon for this. I am also looking at a surgeon much cheaper but mostly does body fat transfer, however he does "fat surgeries" more frequently and has a good retention rate with his patients. I have been told not to waste lots of money on this as I'll need to do multiple rounds. Considering I am just looking for the apple of my cheeks and nasolabial folds to be addressed is very highly complex? I have seen friends go to the "best of the best" and have the fat dissolve in a few months anyway and I don't want to waste money. At the same time, I don't want complications. I'd appreciate thoughts from surgeons who do fat transfer on both face and body.

Tim Neavin, MD · Answer

Fat transfer is a pretty specialized field in plastic surgery.  Not a lot of plastic surgeons do it, and of those who do, the large majority don't do a lot.  Your results will almost certainly be proportional to the expertise of the fat grafting specialist.

Erin Smith, MD · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question. In terms of procedures that can be performed on the face, you may benefit the most from being assessed by a surgeon who has training and experience in this area. You might consider an in person consultation with a facial plastic surgeon to properly assess your needs. Complications are an inherent risk to any procedure, however the likelihood of experiencing while, while not eliminated, is typically reduced with experience.

Zoran Potparic, MD · Answer

It is true when it comes to fat grafting in the face that experience counts! It is much more delicate, precise and unforgiving than fat transfer to buttocks, hips, breasts or muscles! While we have seen improvement with facial fat grafting  in multiple areas of the face, fat graft take in NLF is minimal (10-15%) and we do not use it exclusively for that purpose since it does not perform any better than fillers. In some patients staged fat grafting (6-12 months apart in our experience) is necessary to build required volume, shape. In most areas of the face, fat survival rate is around 30% in our experience of almost 30 years. There is also great variability between patients! Hope this helps.

Is it worth going to an expensive facial surgeon for fat grafting?

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