Facial Fat Grafting
Restore facial volume and contour with your own fat.
Facial Fat Grafting - Our Approach
Facial fat grafting transfers a small amount of a patient's own fat to areas of facial volume loss, hollowing, or contour imbalance. It can be used to soften tear trough depression, support the cheek and midface, improve prejowl contour, refine the jawline, and smooth selected contour irregularities. The goal is not to make the face look puffy. The goal is to restore proportion where volume has been lost or where the facial contour needs better balance.
InquireThe Ideal Candidate
- Tear trough depression or hollowing under the eyes
- Cheek flattening or loss of midface volume
- Prejowl hollowing, early jowl shadowing, or soft jawline contour
- Facial asymmetry or contour irregularities after aging, weight change, or prior surgery
- Healthy patients with stable weight and enough donor fat for transfer
Procedure Quick Facts
Surgical Technique
Facial fat grafting begins with careful facial analysis and donor-site planning. Fat is typically harvested from the abdomen, flank, or thigh using low-trauma liposuction. The fat is then processed to separate usable graftable fat from fluid, oil, and blood. Small amounts are placed through tiny entry points using blunt cannulas and multiple passes, layered in the appropriate facial planes. Placement is conservative around thin-skinned areas such as the tear trough and lower eyelid transition, where precision matters more than volume.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Facial Fat Grafting?
Good candidates have facial volume loss or contour imbalance rather than only loose skin. Common concerns include under-eye hollowness, tear trough depression, cheek flattening, prejowl hollows, soft jawline shadows, and selected contour irregularities. Final recommendations depend on in-person examination, skin quality, facial anatomy, donor fat, medical history, weight stability, and surgical goals.
Recovery
Recovery is usually driven by swelling and bruising in the face and soreness at the donor site. Early fullness is expected and should not be judged as the final result. Some of the transferred fat naturally resorbs, and the retained portion becomes more stable over the following months. Because fat survival varies, some patients may benefit from a staged touch-up, while others do not need one.
Days 1 to 3
Swelling, bruising, and donor-site soreness are expected. Keep the head elevated, avoid pressure on grafted areas, and follow the incision and compression instructions for the donor site.
Week 1
Facial fullness often looks stronger than the final result because swelling and intentional conservative overcorrection are part of the early phase. Bruising begins to fade for many patients.
Weeks 2 to 3
Many patients return to desk work and low-key social activity as bruising improves. Exercise and facial massage remain limited until cleared because early graft stability matters.
Months 1 to 3
Swelling continues to settle and a portion of the transferred fat is naturally resorbed. The result becomes easier to judge as the face softens and contours refine.
Months 3 to 6
The retained fat is more stable by this stage. Some patients may consider a small touch-up if anatomy, goals, and fat survival make that appropriate.
Facial Fat Grafting Risks & Considerations
Risks include bruising, swelling, infection, bleeding, donor-site irregularity, asymmetry, overcorrection, undercorrection, visible or palpable nodules, contour irregularity, fat resorption, and the possible need for revision. Rare but serious vascular complications including vision injury, stroke, or fat embolism have been reported with facial fat injection. Technique, anatomy, injection plane, and patient selection matter.
- Bruising and swelling
- Donor-site soreness or irregularity
- Overcorrection or undercorrection
- Fat resorption or need for touch-up
- Asymmetry
- Visible or palpable nodules
- Infection
- Rare vascular complications including vision injury or fat embolism
Alternatives to Facial Fat Grafting
Dermal fillers can treat smaller volume concerns without surgery and may be useful when a patient wants a reversible or lower-downtime option. A facelift or neck lift is better when the main problem is tissue descent, jowls, or neck laxity rather than volume loss. Blepharoplasty may be more appropriate when eyelid skin or bags are the dominant concern. Some patients need a combined plan because support, skin, and volume often change together.
Facial Fat Grafting vs Facelift
Facial fat grafting restores lost volume and improves contour. A facelift repositions deeper support and treats lower-face descent. They solve different problems and are often complementary when both volume loss and laxity are present.
FaceliftFacial Fat Grafting vs Dermal Fillers
Dermal fillers are useful for smaller, targeted volume changes with less recovery. Facial fat grafting is more involved because it requires harvest and processing, but it uses the patient's own tissue and can be useful for broader volume restoration.
Dermal FillersFacial Fat Grafting vs Blepharoplasty
Blepharoplasty treats eyelid skin, puffiness, and eyelid contour directly. Fat grafting can soften hollowing around the lower eyelid to cheek transition. Some patients need one approach, and some need both.
BlepharoplastyFacial Fat Grafting vs Chin Implant
A chin implant changes skeletal projection and provides a stronger structural change. Fat grafting can soften contour irregularities or mild shadows around the chin and prejowl area, but it does not replace an implant when stronger projection is needed.
Chin ImplantFacial Fat Grafting vs Glidelift™
The Glidelift™ elevates midface support through hidden hairline incisions. Fat grafting restores volume. If the cheek has both descent and deflation, Dr. Castro may discuss whether lift, volume restoration, or a combined plan best matches the anatomy.
Glidelift™Related Procedures
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Medical Sources
Facial Fat Grafting - Frequently Asked Questions
- What does facial fat grafting treat?
- It treats facial volume loss and contour imbalance. Common areas include the tear trough, lower eyelid to cheek transition, cheeks, temples, prejowl hollows, jawline shadows, chin, and selected contour irregularities.
- Can fat grafting help under-eye hollows?
- It can help selected patients with tear trough depression or lower eyelid to cheek hollowing. This area is technically delicate, so the plan must be conservative and based on the anatomy of the eyelid, cheek, and orbital rim.
- Is facial fat grafting the same as fillers?
- No. Fillers are injectable products placed without fat harvest. Fat grafting uses your own fat, requires a donor site, and has a longer recovery. Fat survival is variable, while many fillers are temporary and some hyaluronic acid fillers can be dissolved.
- Can fat grafting fix jowls?
- Fat grafting does not lift jowls. It can soften prejowl hollows or improve jawline contour in selected patients. If the main issue is tissue descent or neck laxity, a facelift or neck lift is usually more appropriate.
- How long does facial fat grafting last?
- The fat that survives the early healing period can be long lasting, but not all transferred fat survives. Weight change, anatomy, technique, and healing affect the final amount retained.
- Will I need more than one session?
- Some patients benefit from a staged touch-up because fat survival is not perfectly predictable. Others get enough correction from one carefully planned session.
Performed by Dr. Ruben Castro in Newport Beach, California