Cosmetic Surgery

Fat Transfer To Face

FAQs | Costs | Book An Appointment

Autologous Fat grafting; Micro Fat Grafting; Nano Fat Grafting

With weight loss and ageing, the face can lose a lot of volume which leads to a sunken undereye area, flat cheeks, deep nose to mouth lines, under projected chin, or deep lines and folds. All of these prob­lems related to facial volume loss can be treated with the transfer of fat from unwanted fat deposits on the tummy or thighs, to the face. This oper­a­tion is often combined with other facial surgeries such as Face & Neck Lift and Eyelid tucks. When done on its own, the oper­a­tion can be done under local anaes­thesia with seda­tion. The procedure is a well-established and safe operation.

The fat is harvested with thin liposuc­tion tubes, then puri­fied by decanting, cent­ri­fu­ging or washing and then injected into the areas of the face that are to be volumized.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the procedure take?

The surgery when done on its own, can take about an hour, it might last longer when combined with other procedures.

Do I need to be admitted for Fat Transfer to face?

Unless combined with other proced­ures, such as facelift, you are discharged on the same day after an appro­priate period of observation.

What is the recovery time for Fat transfer to face?

You will be able to get back to light house­work from the next day onwards but might want to take a week to 10 days off, before you go out and work. You should stock your kitchen for this period so that you don’t need to leave the house until the swelling has reduced.

What is the difference between Fat grafting face and fillers?

Fillers such as Dermal Fillers like Voluma®, Lyft®, Volift® can give you instant volu­m­izing and line filling results. On the other hand, fat needs about 3 months to settle down to show­case the final result. At the end of this 3‑month period, you might need another treat­ment of fat transfer depending on how your body has accepted the trans­ferred fat. Dermal fillers, however, have a limited life of 8 months to 2 years, once estab­lished the results of fat transfer will be lifelong.

How long do the fat injections last in the face?

It takes about 3 to 6 months to see a stable result of fat transfer. At this point, if there has been adequate volu­misa­tion, the effect will last for a life­time, as long as your body weight stays more or less constant.

What are the side effects and how long does the swelling and bruising from Fat Transfer to Face last?

You can encounter bruising or swelling at the area from where the fat was harvested, the entry point might have a little discharge for a couple of days. In the treated area, you will exper­i­ence a moderate degree of swelling, mild pain or tender­ness that will subside over time.

The swelling can increase over the first 3 days after the surgery, at which point it starts dimin­ishing slowly. This process can be helped with sleeping with extra pillows, staying upright and using cold packs in the initial stages. The swelling and bruising gener­ally dissipate over a few weeks. You can start using makeup as early as the 4th post­oper­ative day.

It will be around a week to 10 days before the swelling and bruising have settled to a level where you might feel comfort­able with going out of the house.

Do fat injections in the face work?

Yes, it is a well-established, safe procedure, that can reli­ably volu­mise the face. Sometimes, 2–3 such proced­ures might be required to achieve the optimum result if the fat does not get estab­lished after the first oper­a­tion. There is on average a 30–50% loss of trans­planted cells because they can’t get enough oxygen supply in the early stages.

What precautions do I have to take after the procedure?

Other than the advice related to recovery, you need to keep a healthy life­style and avoid weight fluc­tu­ations to retain the result you have for the rest of your life. The trans­ferred fat will behave just the same as else­where in your body, and there­fore will increase or decrease with signi­ficant weight gain or loss.

Approximate Costs

An accurate estimate of the costs is only possible after an in-clinic consulta­tion with Dr Prashant. We charge a £50 deposit to secure your consulta­tion with Dr Prashant, this amount will be deducted from the costs of the treat­ment you go on to have at our clinic.

On average the cost of facial fat transfer starts from £3000  to £4000 but it could be less if you need less intensive grafting.