Fat transfer fills facial features with a patient’s own fat. Because the fat comes from your own body, you cannot develop an allergic reaction. Fat transfer to the face is a safe procedure designed to recontour the face and provide definition to cheeks, chin, lips and lower eyes. Click a picture below to see it in greater detail.

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Common Questions About Fat Grafting

What areas are usually treated?

Almost all areas of the face can be treated but there are the usually requested treatment sites:

• Correction of “hollow” eyes, visible vessels resulting in dark circles, as well as visible tear troughs
• Correction after aggressive removal of undereye fat fads from a lower blepharoplasty
• Temple areas
• Upper malar
• Sub malar
• Chin
• Lips (it isn’t a defining filler though)
• Jawline
• Forehead
• In-between the brow
• Facial scars
• Lower cheek after aggressive buccal fat extraction
• The area between upper lip and nose
• Bridge of the nose
• Anywhere else fat is needed or wanted

Many areas of the face and body can be treated with fat transfer, but the most common treatment indications are hollow appearing eyes and visible tear troughs, overly aggressive removal of fat pads during lower blepharoplasty, facial scars and depressions, and aggressive buccal fat removal or natural loss of fat in the lower cheeks. Fat transfer can also be used on the temple areas and temporal fat pads, upper malar and submalar areas, chin, lips, jawline, forehead, buttocks and hips, sternum, outer brow, and glabella, as well as between the upper lip and nose, on the bridge of the nose and lateral fatty pads, and anywhere else that fat is needed or wanted.

Although most fat transfer procedures are performed under local only, some docs may use an oral sedative to ease tension as well.

Postoperative pain is minimal. The patient remains slightly black and blue for approximately two to three days. Most patients are quite presentable and can go out in public with proper make-up after two to three days. Swelling can last up to several weeks, but will eventually subside.

Cheek Implants

Facial implants are commonly used in facial plastic surgery to enhance your appearance or improve your facial contour. One of the strongest characteristics of youth is the fullness of the cheeks, indicating an abundance of healthy soft tissue and healthy fat under the skin. The cheekbones are largely responsible for defining your face, highlighting the eyes and adding balance to your features. People who most commonly have cheek implants have underdeveloped cheekbone structure or have lost soft tissue due to the normal aging of the face. Cheek implants usually add aesthetically pleasing contours to your face while the results are permanent.

Common Questions About Cheek Implants

Is this a surgical procedure?

In some cases, facial implant surgery may require only local anesthesia combined with a sedative. However, more frequently, general anesthesia may be recommended.

How long will Cheek implant surgery take?

Cheek implant surgery usually takes about 30 to 45 minutes.

Where are the incisions?

A small incision will be made on the inside of your lower eyelid. A pocket is then formed and an implant is inserted.

What about recovery?

The recovery period after facial implants is relatively short with many patients resuming normal activities within a few days. Once fully healed, the implant feels like your normal underlying bone structure.

What are the risks?

As with any surgery, you can expect some swelling, mild bruising and minimal pain. You should be aware that your ability to move your mouth and lips may be diminished temporarily. Stitches used to close the incisions usually dissolve within about 10 days. Typical cheek implant procedures create some numb areas around the cheeks and mouth but they rarely last long.