Can facial fat transfer cause premature aging?

Question

Can someone tell me if facial fat transfer can cause premature aging somehow? I can't tell if the fat, reabsorbed and my natural fat went with it, if it fell and caused my face to sag, if it was placed too low to begin with, if my skin stretched from the swelling and is now lax, if there is scar tissue making my normal skin weird.... all I know is that my skin is so much worse after 10cc of fat transfer from my inner thigh to face. Also is there any way to fix this?

Zoran Potparic, MD · Answer

We are doing facial fat transfer for over 20 years and the only think that is permanent, is unpredictability. One frequently has to do additional grafting, 6-12 months after first, to achieve correct volume replacement. In general, we tell our patient that around 30% of fat injected in the site (1.5-2 ml from 5 ml in your case??) would survive. That is, however very individual and varies significantly. Fat graft retention in areas like buttocks and breasts is significantly higher, around 50-60% in our experience. It is, very likely, that after initial augmentation and swelling that went away after several weeks/moths, you are seeing real effect of volume change which can be barely visible considering volume you started with?. Discussion with your surgeon and possibly, second opinion consultation with a surgeon with long experience with this procedure, is recommended. Good luck.

Kevin Ende, MD · Answer

I don't really know enough about you to answer you specifically, and the pics are certainly not adequate enough to explain your situation.  For patients who need more facial volume, repeat fat transfer or fillers are options, and those with loose skin and muscle may opt for a facelift.  You should repost with more pics or seek an in person evaluation.

Darryl J. Blinski, MD · Answer

Fat transfer to face can fill more than lift, as seen in your case. I might recommend a mini FL/NL c SMAS plication and additional fat transfer. Fees in $20,000 ranges.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

Most likely the majority of grafted fat didn’t survive. You didn’t mention how long ago your procedure was but it during early middle-age patients should expect to see signs of facial aging each year.

Take a look at your parents to have a better understanding of where you were heading or what they look like when they were a few years older than you.

There are lots of treatments patients can have too many to list here.

Personally I’m not a big fan of facial fat transfer because of its finicky nature, unpredictability and difficulty to reverse if the results are undesirable.

Personally I would recommend using fillers but there are plenty of treatment options.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom MD

Can facial fat transfer cause premature aging?

Answers (4)