I had fat transfer to my lips 5 years ago. If I lower my body fat through exercise, will that reduce their size?

Question

My lips look overly inflated after fat transfer 5 years ago . Initially they looked natural, but after I gained 4 kg 3 years ago or so they inflated immensely. I've dieted and noticed they would shrink within days, but it doesn't work anymore, even when I starve myself. I don't know what to do. Could it be that I am losing muscle and not fat? Would a low carb diet and exercise to reduce my bodyfat make them shrink like it did 2 years ago?

George Volpe, MD · Answer

In general, fat that has been grafted will usually act like normal fat when dieting. Lose weight into tends to go down. There is also the possibility you have scar tissue in your lip that provides volume but does not respond to diet. If one is feeling that one's lips are too large, there is a surgical procedure called lip reduction that may be of help. A good consultation by a plastic surgeon would be necessary to determine this.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

This is difficult to answer without pictures. It's difficult to predict how the lips will look, if you lose weight. 5/FU steroids and rf treatments can help give improvement. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with a facial sculpting expert. Best, Dr. Emer

Jon Ver Halen, MD, FACS (license suspended) · Answer

Hello and thank you for your excellent question. While fat grafts will often increase or decrease in size as you gain or lose weight, this is not always the case. This is because the fat grafts do not just lead to increased fat deposits, but can also stimulate collagen deposition and formation when it is grafted. You may be a candidate for a revision, but you would need an in-person consultation. Preoperative visualization and surgical simulation with the Crisalix system may help with your decision. Any treatment plan should be based on a detailed discussion with equal input from both you and your surgeon. 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 in person with a qualified board-certified plastic surgeon. Good luck!

Best,

Jon Ver Halen, MD FACS

Harvard educated plastic surgeon

Best,
  
Jon Ver Halen, MD FACS

Harvard educated plastic surgeon

Val Lambros, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

grafted fat acts like the area that it came from. So if it goes from belly to lip, the chances are it will get bigger with weight gain and the convers. If you lose weight the fat graft will diminish assuming that's the only variable.

I had fat transfer to my lips 5 years ago. If I lower my body fat through exercise, will that reduce their size?

Answers (4)