Facial fat transfer is a cosmetic surgical procedure that uses fat harvested from another area of the patient's body to restore volume and improve facial contours. The fat is collected through liposuction, processed, and carefully injected into selected facial areas.

Facial fat transfer can be used to enhance the cheeks, temples, nasolabial folds, chin, jawline, and selected areas around the eyes. It may also be used for lip enhancement or correction of certain facial contour irregularities, depending on individual anatomy and suitability.

Natural Facial Volume Restoration: Replenishes lost volume using the patient's own fat tissue. Enhanced Facial Contours: Improves fullness and definition in the cheeks, temples, and other facial areas. Long-Lasting Results: Successfully integrated fat cells may provide lasting volume enhancement. Natural-Looking Rejuvenation: Helps restore softer, smoother, and more youthful facial proportions. Improvement of Facial Hollows: Can reduce the appearance of sunken cheeks, hollow temples, and selected under-eye depressions. No Synthetic Fillers: Uses the patient's own fat rather than manufactured dermal filler materials. Potential Skin Quality Benefits: Some patients experience improvements in skin appearance, although these effects are variable and not guaranteed. Personalised Treatment: Fat placement is tailored to individual facial anatomy and aesthetic expectations.

The procedure involves three main stages: harvesting fat through gentle liposuction, processing the collected fat, and injecting small amounts into targeted facial areas. Some transferred fat cells establish a blood supply and survive permanently, while others are naturally reabsorbed.

Facial fat transfer and dermal fillers offer different advantages. Fat transfer uses the patient's own tissue and may provide long-lasting results, but it requires a surgical procedure and has less predictable volume retention. Hyaluronic acid fillers are non-surgical, provide more immediate volume correction, and can generally be dissolved when clinically appropriate. The best option depends on individual needs.

Fat cells that successfully establish a blood supply may survive for many years or permanently. However, a proportion of the transferred fat is naturally reabsorbed during healing. Long-term results vary depending on the technique, treatment area, individual healing, weight changes, and natural ageing.

Facial fat transfer aims to restore volume gradually and proportionately, creating softer and more balanced facial contours.

Restoring volume to hollow or sunken cheeks is one of the most common applications of facial fat transfer. The procedure can improve cheek fullness and create smoother facial contours.

Fat transfer may improve selected under-eye depressions and tear trough hollows.

Facial fat transfer is frequently combined with facelift surgery to address both facial sagging and volume loss. While a facelift repositions descended tissues, fat grafting restores fullness to selected facial areas.

Facial fat transfer uses the patient's own fat to restore soft-tissue volume, while facial implants use solid biocompatible materials to provide structural enhancement in areas such as the cheeks or chin.