What is the difference between fat in the face and elsewhere on the body?

Question

Does the fat that is harvested from different areas on the body to be injected in the face have different structural properties that could prove to be a disadvantage of any kind? Are there areas on the body where the fat is closer to what is found in the face and areas where it is not as well suited?

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

Certain areas hold fat better and store it, the face looses it as it ages.  That is why taking fat from the stomach, back, and hips are the best for fat transferring because the ability for them to "take" will be much more than taking from areas where you lose weight quickly when dieting.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Edward Buckingham, MD · Answer

Body fat is definitely different that facial fat.  Think of the fact that as a person ages their face develops shadows and hollow areas even though their body may have more fat than desired.  It is a similar concept to male hair loss.  The hair on the top of the head falls out even though the hair around the periphery stays for life.  If you transplant the peripheral hair to the scalp in the area of hair loss the hair will grow forever.  The same concept applies to fat transfer.  If you harvest fat from the body that is resistant to diet, and transfer that to the face, the fat cells that acquire blood supply and graft will potentially live forever.  Studies have shown that harvesting fat from different areas of the body does not affect fat survival.  Regarding your direct question as to whether body fat has disadvantages, the only disadvantage is that not all of the fat that gets grafted will survive or "take" so you have to over-fill at first.  There is not fat that is closer to facial fat in the way it behaves on different parts of the body, but really you want the fat to not behave like facial fat or it would just be lost again.  Hope this makes sense?Ed Buckingham, M.D.

What is the difference between fat in the face and elsewhere on the body?

Answers (2)

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.

What is the difference between fat in the face and elsewhere on the body?

Answers (2)

Browse related questions

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.