Fat transfer in an athletic fit male. Am I a good candidate?

Question

Hello Drs, I'm seriously considering fat transfer to my cheeks to replace volume loss in mid face and buccal area space (fat pad) as well as temples. I'm at my ideal weight, non-smoker, extremely healthy, exercise 5x a week. I met a doctor and I have enough fat to do the transfer, however: 1) Will my fast metabolism and athletic slim frame mean my "fat take" will be less than average? and 2) Should I plan to have more transferred to compensate for this? Thank you.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

This is the bread and butter of my practice.  If you have fat that can be removed we can transfer it. You would need a formal assessment.  Most often I am contouring and defining using my harvesting and liposuction techniques then transferring the fat I get to the face, chest, shoulders and calves for muscular contouring and size.  But it is best you find someone with experience and who does this type of surgery on athletic people.  Best, Dr. Emer.

John Michael Thomassen, MD · Answer

Fat transfer would be an excellent option for you.  Yes, some of the fat does dissipate with time in the order of 40-50%.  Overfilling is not a good option in the face; however, some surgeons consider a second fat transfer procedure to address this.

Afshin Farzadmehr, MD · Answer

You would not lose the fat that has been transferred if it is done with proper technique.  Hope that helps.  Thanks for the question.

Kate Ross, MD · Answer

Unfortunately I don't recommend fat transfer for you. Fat is extremely subjective and depends on the survival of the fat cell once transferred. I believe that if you did have the fat transfer done, your metabolism would not allow the fat to take any more than 40-50%. Also, if you lost any more weight it's possible for it to be lost from your face. Over compensating for what you may lose of fat, is not what I recommend either. A filler with a greater longevity is probably you're best bet.Thank you for your question!Kate Ross, MD

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

Fat is an excellent source of material to add volume. It does require a surgical procedure. If you are not 100% sure you want a potentially permanent filler, then I would suggest HA's like Voluma, Perlane, and the like.

Michael Law, MD · Answer

Do NOT overcorrect with fat grafting. It is possible that multiple treatments might be required to maintain the ideal fullness you desire. Perhaps not, but it is critical not to over-correct.  The look of an over-filled face is undesirable in anyone, but it is particularly important not to overfill the face of a man. I regularly perform facial fat grafting to both men and women. Most of my patients are fit without excess body fat. In fact, some of my fat grafting patients are competitive athletes with very low body fat. These patients can receive beautiful, natural looking and lasting results.

R. Stephen Mulholland, MD (retired) · Answer

Dear Curious_Inquirer,

Thank you for your clinical post and it is indeed a common
question to perform fat grafting in the face of an extremely athletic lifestyle
and certainly a catabolic metabolic rate. 
Fat transfer for extreme athletes or athletes who exercise frequently is
at risk in that the success of a fat transplantation relies on a delicate and elegant
technique, preparation and finesse during transfer, but also that your post-fat
transfer weight remains stable and that you don’t end up cachectic or
excessively emaciated or wasted.  Long
distance runners, middle distance runners and extreme exercisers often are
disappointed at the retention of their fat transfer volume.

Having said that, I’ve had great success performing fat
transfer on athletes when they’ve reached their ideal body weight and lean body
mass is somewhere between 4% and 12%. 
Generally, the fat transferred to the deflated areas of the face such as
the temple, the under eye and the buccal space will provide some
longevity.  Over animated areas such as
the perioral structures, lips, smile lines do not fare as well as the android
temple and buccal space. If you do have some fat storage excess, for example,
in the love handle, posterior flank or inner thighs these can often be an
excellent choice for fat transfer to the face.

I would certainly recommend you seek someone with a lot of
experience in fat grafting and that you be prepared for a second session
perhaps at one year.  Were these options
to fail then long lasting HA fillers such as Juvederm Voluma once a year into
the deflated areas caused by exercise is also an excellent option and is not
dependent upon your catabolic rate or lean body mass.

I have been performing fat grafting for over 20 years and
have found this approach to be very reasonable. 
I think it’s important you seek several consultations and then schedule
the volumizing procedure that makes the most sense to you.

For more information, please review the link below.

R. Stephen Mulholland, M.D.

Certified Plastic Surgeon

Yorkville, Toronto

Fat transfer in an athletic fit male. Am I a good candidate?

Answers (7)

More Facial Fat Transfer Questions

Treatment for dent in 5 year old's forehead?

Can I get a body fat transfer from someone else? If not, why not?

Exactly how much fat is needed for a "fat transfer" to the hips? (Photo)

Can fat be removed and stored and injected at a later time?

Is it possible to not have enough fat for fat injections for my face?

Which would you recommend; Fat Transfer vs. Restylane?

WE SEND PRETTY
EMAILS