How long does facial fat grafting take to settle?

You usually get a good idea how much fat will be retained at 3-5 months, but two years may be when you know the grafted fat volume is stable long-term.
We try to get the best results at the initial session to minimize the need for further fat grafting or to need less in a second session. Adding platelet-rich plasma to the fat graft seems to increase take in clinical studies and is used in our practice.  We also treat the harvested fat in a PureGraft membrane separator to get all the unwanted elements such as red blood cells out of the transferred fat. 
Patients are advised that a second session may be needed, and we usually decide on this between three and six months later.

When fat is injected into a treatment area, it will likely look overfilled at first because doctors experienced in this procedure know that some fat will dissolve after the grafting process. The results will improve over the following three or four months. At this point, you should get a pretty good idea of what your final outcome will look like. However, there may continue to be changes, although not likely as dramatic as the changes that occur in those early weeks after the procedure.

Thank you for your excellent question. Fat grafting is a great way to add volume and fill any defects that may be present in the face. The fat is taken from your own body and put through a delicate process to separate the fat. Only the best fat with the highest concentration of stemcells is used. The recovery from fat grafting is fairly easy although it can swell a substantial amount. The most significant swelling resolves after about 2 weeks but patients can experience some amount of mild swelling for 8 or so weeks. The swelling usually is proportional to the amount of fat grafted. So, the more fat you receive, the worse the swelling. Once the swelling is gone and the fat has developed its own blood supply, its considered settled. In our office, we offer 3D imaging to give our patients an accurate idea of what their final result will look like. I hope that answered your question. Good luck!