I am 5 days post of a fat transfer to the cheek and it looks awful. - Is this normal?

Question

I had a fat transfer to my face 5 days ago and I do not look like myself. I have seen other photo of before and after picture where you can see a slight improvement that would go un-seen. However, I look like a totally differnt person with chipmunk cheeks. I know the swelling can take up to 3 weeks to go down, but my swelling has not gone down from day 1. Please let me know if my pictures look normal.

Joseph L. Grzeskiewicz, MD, FACS · Answer

At 5 days post-procedure, your results are VERY early, and you are seeing the effects of the "trauma" of the procedure creating swelling.  This type of swelling doesn't even "max out" until about 96 hours after procedure, and then it will take several days to resolve, and maybe even longer.  There are many things that can differ between procedures and doctors that can influence the degree of early swelling too, such as the techniques used for preparing the fat (more "oily" residue in the injected fat can create more early swelling), type of cannulas used and how they were used, and so forth.  Additionally, some people are just predisposed to swelling more with things like this, and these can all be reasons why you may be seeing more swelling than you expected from looking at the results of others.  I expect that this swelling will resolve, and your tissues will soften and begin to take on the characteristic supple changes that we see with facial fat transfer, but this final effect may take months.  Keep in contact with your surgeon and be sure to let them know of any concerns you may have so that they can be evaluated early and in person.  Best of luck.

I am 5 days post of a fat transfer to the cheek and it looks awful. - Is this normal?

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I am 5 days post of a fat transfer to the cheek and it looks awful. - Is this normal?

Answers (1)

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Recommended reading

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.