Facelift after fat transfer?

A facelift after fat transfer will improve your final result.  As we age, two important issues arise.  One is skin laxity, and the other is facial vloume loss or atrophy.  A facelift will reposition your skin and deeper structures, and fat  transfer will augment your faical shape.  These two procedures combined can result in very powerful results and natural improvement. My patients will typical undergo fat transfer at the time of their facelift procedure.

A facelift with fat transfer is a great combination approach to address loose muscle and loss of volume. Although I prefer to do these at the same time, since you've had fat transfer already, you can still do a facelift. I would recommend that your surgeon re-evaluate you in person at 2-3 months to determine how your healing process is going and what the best timing will be. This will often depend on which areas of the face that the fat was placed. 

A facelift can be performed after fat transfer, though at least a 3 month wait time would be recommended to allow for any swelling and potential scarring to subside. The type of facelift may depend on the area of fat grafting, the depth and the amount of volume retained from the fat. Typically, fat grafting does not take the place of a facelift, but they can compliment each other.

Hi ~ Fat transfer or fat grafting is a great adjunct procedure to a facelift. As we age there is both volume loss and sagging of skin. A face lift will address the sagging skin and fat transfer will help replace lost volume. It is best to wait 4-6 months after fat transfer to proceed with a facelift. This will allow for ample healing time and all swelling to resolve.

If you refer to get a face lift after fat grafting in the face, the face lift can be done. Every surgeon may have a different opinion, on how long to wait for the face lift after fat grafting, in my experience it will be at least 6 months, so all the swelling is gone from the previous fat grafting and the tissues are soft enough that the dissection of the tissues is less traumatic and more precise.

Yes, absolutely. I think that you can't tell the final results of fat transfer for three months - so I would wait at least that long. Good luck.

Hello and thank you for your question.  It is very safe to perform a facelift after fat grafting.  I would assess your facial swelling and then perform a facelift after your swelling has fully resolved.   If good technique is used,
a facelift can be done with minimal scarring and can result in a natural look, not
over-done look, with rejuvenation of your face.  Make sure you specifically look
at before and after pictures of real patients who have had this surgery
performed by your surgeon and evaluate their results. The most important aspect
is to find a surgeon you are comfortable with. I recommend that you seek
consultation with a qualified board-certified plastic surgeon who can evaluate
you in person.
Best wishes and good luck.
Richard G. Reish, M.D.
Harvard-trained plastic surgeon

That is a great question. Fat transfer is a wonderful technique for adding volume to the face. As we consider facial rejuvenation, there are three areas that need to be addressed to combat the signs of aging. The first is laxity which is addressed generally with a lifting procedure such as a facelift. The second is loss of facial volume which you had corrected with the fat grafting. Fillers such as Voluma and juvederm also address that. The third is superficial skin damage such as wrinkles and pigmented spots which we treat with chemical peels, lasers and skin care products. Most often I combine all three treatments at the time of surgery. We do over 100 facelifts a year and approximately 60% get fat grafting and 80-90% get a chemical peel or laser peel. A facelift can certainly be done after fat grafting as it will address the laxity component that was not addressed with the fat grafting.  Since you have had the fat grafting procedure as an isolated treatment, I would recommend a minimum of three months before you have a facelift to allow the swelling from the fat grafting to dissipate. . Best of luck!

Yes, although a better option is to do both at the same time. A facelift will lift the sagging jowls, tighten the neck, and remove the excess skin. The volume loss associated with the aging process can be addressed by replenishing it with your own fat. Lifts generally do not fill, and fillers or fat transfer generally do not lift. If you decide to do them separately, I would suggest waiting 3 to 6 months to see how much of the fat has survived. Stable facial volume will lead to a more stable lifting procedure, and you then have the option to add more fat at the time of the facelift if you so desire.

Thanks for your question.  Yes, you can do fat transfer after or at the same time as a facelift.  I often combine these 2 procedures as they compliment each other well.  But, you can certainly do the facelift after the fat transfer, remembering to wait at least 3 months after to let the fat survive and take hold before having the facelift.  These two procedures nicely address the two causes of facial again, skin sagging and loss of volume.  Best of luck to you and enjoy your new look!