Facial Fat Grafting
Fat grafting, or liposculpture, is a surgical procedure where fat is taken from one area of your body and re-injected to restore volume loss in areas of your face. Facial fat transfer is a permanent solution that is helpful in reducing the appearance of laugh lines and adding fullness to sunken under-eyes, deflated cheeks, hollow temples, or a recessed chin. With advanced technology, the rate of graft take is greater than 90%, meaning the fat injected will be permanent. The grafted fat also contains adipose stem cells, which are self-renewing and lead not only to volume restoration but skin rejuvenation by increasing blood circulation to the treated areas.
Patients seek out Dr. Hu to address all of the following:
Temporal hollows
Under-eye bags/dark circles
General facial fat loss
Sunken cheeks
Deep smile or frown lines
Crow’s feet
How It Works
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Dr. Hu will begin your consultation by listening to your concerns about your face and discussing the results you would like to achieve.
She always takes care to thoroughly explain the different thirds of the face and how to implement the desired changes using specific surgical techniques.
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Next, Dr. Hu will take a full health history and perform a complete examination of your face, focusing on areas that have experienced volume loss or formed deep lines/wrinkles. With this information, Dr. Hu will create a tailored plan to help you achieve your aesthetic goals. In addition to a facial fat grafting, Dr. Hu may recommend adjunct procedures such as a facelift to lift the facial tissues, eyelid surgery or brow rejuvenation to establish harmony with the rest of the face, or laser resurfacing to treat the stubborn, deeper wrinkles.
Additionally, we can show you the potential results of these surgical techniques with our specialized imaging software! This allows us to promote an open dialogue as we progress to the next steps.
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Finally, Dr. Hu and her clinical team will discuss the details of the surgery, pricing, how to plan for it, and what to expect after.
Facial fat grafting surgery is performed on-site in a state-of-the-art private operating suite at AIREM. Local anesthetic is administered by Dr. Hu, and the whole process will take around 1.5 hours. During the procedure, fat is harvested from a donor area on your body using gentle liposuction. Many patients choose to have fat removed from their midsection or thighs. Once the fat is harvested, it is purified through a specialized filtration system. From there, the purified fat is transferred into a syringe, and injected into the areas of your face where you desire more fullness and volume.
Recovery Process
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You will need to plan for time to recover, which varies by individual, but is usually around one week. Immediately after the procedure, you will notice the changes in your facial structure, but there will already be associated swelling. You may notice this increasing around day 3 or 4. Mild bruising may accompany the entry sites and around the eyes, which tend to have many blood vessels.
An abdominal compression garment may be placed if liposuction was performed on your belly. There is not much you need to do at home, since there are no incisions. You will be prescribed an antibiotic for a few days to prevent infection. Make sure to walk around but refrain from any exercise during this time.
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At your one week appointment, much of the swelling will have subsided, and the fat grafting is starting to even out and settle.
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After the second week, the majority of the swelling will have resolved, and what you see will accurately reflect the long-term results. You are completely socially presentable and enjoying compliments from friends and family. You will notice continued improvements in your appearance until 6 weeks after the surgery.