Fat transfer after a deep plane facelift?

Question

Is there anything wrong with getting a fat transfer AFTER a deep plane facelift? My concern is doing the fat transfer at the same time will cause additional pain and a longer recovery time.

Alejandro Nogueira, MD · Answer

Something wrong? yes there is, you can get blind, do research about blindness events and necrosis of tissues after facial fillers, also fat ones.

Not a good choice; besides the risks, you'd get a blowfish face, nobody wants that, fat transfers do NOT rejuvenate or remove any wrinkling or sagginess; also the fat is massively dissolved after months and some oily cyts may persist as a problem.

Michelle Lee, MD · Answer

Hi there! There is nothing wrong with doing the fat transfer after a facelift, however, it is highly recommended to do them together. The fat transfer does not extend recovery and is not a painful procedure in itself. Most patients cannot differentiate the downtime or discomfort from the facelift vs fat transfer. When doing a facelift, it is helpful to address the different aging factors (descending/loose tissues and volume loss) at once. Hope this helps!

Kyle Kimura, MD · Answer

Great question.
There isn't necessarily anything wrong with perfomring fat transfer after a face lift, though you would need to allow plenty of time for things to settle (ie swelling) after surgery before considering fat transfer to determine which areas may need it the most. I like to perform the majority of fat transfer procedures during surgery before the swelling sets in. I would also note that the fat transfer is almost never a complaint from patients after surgery and handful of patients told me they forgot we had even harvested the fat as it didn't bother them at all. 
Hope this helps and best of luck

Elie Ramly, MD · Answer

This is a thoughtful question, and it’s reasonable to wonder about timing and recovery when combining procedures. In general, fat grafting can be done either at the same time as a deep plane facelift (more common) or as a staged procedure afterward. Both approaches are reasonable, and the decision depends on your facial anatomy, aesthetic goals, and ideal recovery timeline/expected downtime. Doing the fat transfer at the same time does not necessarily make recovery significantly longer with the exception of a bit of bruising at first and swelling that can last for a few weeks in the areas grafted. Keep in mind that staging the procedures involves some social downtime for each so you would want to plan your activities accordingly. Most patients choose to have this as a "one and done" but you get to decide what works best for you. Both are appropriate routes to take depending on your plastic surgeon's evaluation and the plan you agree on together.
The key considerations are optimizing safety, tissue healing, and achieving balanced facial proportions for a harmonious aesthetic result. A physical examination by a qualified plastic surgeon can help determine whether combining the procedures or separating them would be the best option based on your tissues, health, and overall goals.

Justin Yovino, MD, FACS · Answer

There’s no problem with doing the lift and then doing fat transfer later. There are advantages to doing it that way.  There is a new baseline appearance after you’ve healed from the facelift and therefore less variables. A specific endpoint is potentially more achievable. Less complications when procedures are performed at different times.  The downside is that it’s two procedures. You may also desire more volume in your face when analyzing your facelift results. We can discuss all of this during a consult if you’d like.

Erin Smith, MD · Answer

Fat grafting can be performed alongside facelift or afterwards. The benefit of combining surgeries is having only 1 recovery perior. You may find that fat grafting at the time of surgery adds to post-operative swelling and bruising but will not significantly impact recovery time or increase pain.  Good luck!

Jake Thayer, MD · Answer

Thanks for the question. No, there is no issue with getting fat transfer at a later time. In fact, this may be beneficial to allow the tissues to heal and reassess where the volume is and needs to be filled. The majority of patients do it at the same time as the facelift given only one recovery / cost.

Jeffrey M. Darrow, MD · Answer

The vast majority of people have their fat grafting and their facelift done at the same time. It allows for one anesthesia and one recovery and does not increase the level of discomfort nor elongate the recovery time.  Combining these procedures would also help you to minimize your cost. Speak with your plastic surgeon about this.

Michelle Zweifler, MD · Answer

Fat grafting may be performed at the same time or after a deep plane facelift.  Combining fat transfer with facelift may give more swelling.  
After the facelift, would wait at least 6 months for the postoperative swelling to subside prior to fat transfer.  Fat grafting may be performed under local anesthesia.

Lexie Wang, MD · Answer

There is not anything wrong with getting the fat transfer afterward other than you would want to make sure you're fully healed from the facelift before going in. But... it literally doesn't add any much more pain or recovery to the facelift at all. Fat transfer can be done completely awake under local anesthetic alone and is similar to getting filler. A deep plane facelift is SO much more than that!!! So it basically is like adding a drop of water to a bucket.

Fat transfer after a deep plane facelift?

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