Fat transfer- permanent or not?

Hello, a fat transfer is permanent enough for the results to be considered significant, reliable,
and for the procedure to be replicated over and over. While the transferred fat will stay there
permanently it also depends on the person having the procedure. If you lose weight for
example, the area with transferred fat may decrease, whereas if you gain weight, it could
increase. Longterm results also depend on your genes. If you have a fast metabolism it may
be harder to hold on to the transferred fat. Overall, fat transfers are typically successful
operations with good and long-lasting results.

Facial fat grafting tends to have a higher percentage of the fat survive than does grafting in other areas of the body.  Any facial fat that remains after 3 months or so has an established blood supply and will continue to live.  Some of the fat grafted will be lost, but about 70 to 90% of the fat grafted to the face should live. In other areas of the body, about 50 to 75% of the fat injected survives after fat grafting.  This fat will continue to stay with you and will act like the rest of your body's fat.  Kenneth Hughes, MD, Board Certified Plastic SurgeonLos Angeles, CA

Fat transfer is permanent. Harvesting is important for successful transfer. I use gentle water-assisted harvesting to get the most viable fat to transfer. I combine with prp and sculptra to improve results. See an expert. Best, Dr. Emer

Thank you for your question. You are correct in that there are varying opinions on this topic. However, there is good literature to suggest that grafted fat does have long term survival. The problem is the amount of the fat that does reach this point is not readily predictable and depends on multiple factors. Hope this helps!

This is a good question.  You will get many different answers. 
Fat Transfer is a great procedure and the results are wonderful.  In the right hands, there should be long term permanent results.  Some physicians are able to demonstrate long term results and others are not. Each physician utilizes their own technique.  The Coleman technique was the first to demonstrate long term results and this is the main technique that is recommended.  There is no standardization of this procedure.  Due to  this fact, techniques will vary and therefore, results will vary from patient to patient.  If the correction is present in photographs  post procedure, then the results are expected to be considered long term.  I have been performing fat transfer since 1994 with long term results and permanence.  Due to the permanent nature if Fat Transfer procedure, care must be taken to perform it correctly.  This is extremely important due to maintain symmetry in the face.  It must be injected smoothly and in layers and long term results can be expected.
I hope this helps.  Good Luck

Today, we have many choices for facial fillers. Fat transfers can soften the lines around your mouth using your own fat from a different area of your body (typically your hips, buttocks, or abdomen). It can be used to plump lips, fill in cheeks and improve facial contours. Since it is your own fat you can't be allergic to it and last longer than other fillers- about 50% of the fat stays permanently where it was injected.

 The Internet is full of opinions and statements about fat survival. I agree with you that there are a few articles that scientifically study fat survival. However, we have demonstrated that it  is permanent and that the volume maintenance   is about 62% with a standard deviation of about 10%. I have attached our article which was published over five years ago in the Journal of plastic surgery.  be cautious of statements and promises that fat survival is significantly higher than 50 to 60%. There is no evidence of such statements. Hope this helps best regards 

You ask a good question. The problem is that it's often difficult to measure over time the volume of fat that has persisted after fat grafting. It is our impression that it may last for years in many people but whether it is there permanently or there is some fat loss over time is unclear in my mind. The benefits of fat grafting however are substantial and usually the results are long-lasting including adjacent skin rejuvenation and correction of depressions and restoration of volume. Science will become more clear in the future but none of us would be performing the procedure if the results seemed to be short lasted in the majority of cases. Good luck and best wishes,Jon A Perlman M.D., FACSCertified, American Board of Plastic SurgeryABC-TV Extreme Makeover Plastic Surgeon

always remember never to say always and never. Biological systems are highly variable. Fat takes at different levels of efficiency in different people, much better as a rule in young people than older skinny people where it really doesn't stick very efficiently. Once the fat is there it will grow along with body fat, so if you gain weight  the grafted fat does too. In some people it gains weight without body gains. In some people with HIV on antivirals grafted fat can explode in size. Once its in the face after 6 months or so it would seems like it stays there.  If that's what permanent means to you ok. it just may manifest in different ways.