Facial Surgery
Facial Fat Transfer
Facial fat transfer restores lost volume with the patient's own fat, filling the hollows of the midface, the temples, and the area under the eyes. It is sometimes combined with a face and neck lift.
Her approach
Fat transfer restores volume to the parts of the face that have lost it with time. Although a face and neck lift repositions the descended face and areas of fat that have also fallen, fat transfer adds volume to places that still lack it, namely the temples, midface, tear troughs, and even the prejowl sulcus. Dr. Bokman uses the latest devices to harvest your body's own fat, usually from the abdomen or outer thigh, and transfer it to the hollows of the face. Her technique is conservative, as too much fat transferred can look too full and even grow when patients gain weight. She even specializes in correcting "botched" fat transfer to the face, which is when the grafted fat has been placed in the wrong layer, looks bumpy and lumpy, and needs to be removed.
What facial fat transfer addresses
The fat is harvested from the abdomen or thighs, purified, and placed in small, calculated amounts into the midface and cheeks, the temples, and the tear troughs beneath the eyes. The layer into which it is placed is key, because once fat is grafted, it cannot be removed. That is why Dr. Bokman specializes in fat transfer of the face; knowing the layers of the face and where fat should be placed is a necessity for both natural results and survival of the fat.
Volume and lift work together
Many patients and even experts think that hollowness of the face is a result of fat loss over time. In reality, the key fat pockets of the face have just descended, and a face and neck lift is what repositions these structures back to their proper place. After lifting, some patients do not need fat transfer at all. Dr. Bokman assesses the face as a whole and is able to identify who requires a facelift alone or a facelift with fat transfer.
Recovery
Swelling and bruising after fat transfer typically last two to four weeks, with the final result around one to two months after surgery. Up to 50% of the fat is typically absorbed, but technique is key, and Dr. Bokman is an expert on both how much fat to transfer and in which layer of the face to place it.
Frequently asked questions
- What is facial fat transfer?
- Fat is taken from the abdomen or the thighs, purified, and grafted into the parts of the face that have lost volume. It is typically done at the same time as other cosmetic surgeries of the face, but it is sometimes performed as a standalone procedure.
- What does it address?
- As a face ages it loses volume: the midface flattens, the temples hollow, and the area beneath the eyes also hollows. Fat transfer revolumizes these areas with the patient's own fat harvested from either the abdomen or legs.
- Why use my own fat instead of filler?
- Fat transfer uses the patient's own tissue and is often done in conjunction with other cosmetic surgeries of the face. Although up to 50% of the transferred fat can be absorbed, the fat that remains lasts decades, whereas filler lasts from 1-3+ years.
- Can it be combined with a facelift?
- Yes, but it doesn't have to be. A facelift repositions the fallen tissue and descended fat of the face, while fat transfer is used to revolumize parts of the face that have lost fat. Some patients just need a facelift while others need both. It can also be performed as a standalone procedure if volume loss is the primary concern of the patient.
- Can it be combined with eyelid blepharoplasty?
- Yes, fat transfer is often combined with eyelid blepharoplasty if the patient has volume loss of and around the eyelids, both upper and lower (more commonly the lower). Recommendation for fat transfer at the same time as eyelid blepharoplasty is based on consultation.
- How much of the fat lasts?
- Not all of it survives. The body reabsorbs a part of it over the first few months, and what remains after that is permanent. Dr. Bokman grafts with the appropriate amount and accounts for expected loss.
- What is recovery like?
- Swelling and bruising may result and usually lasts one to two weeks. Some of the grafted fat is absorbed by the body, and that process usually occurs over the first 2-3 months.
Dr. Christine Bokman