One of the common effects of age is facial volume loss. You may notice deflated, sunken cheeks or deep tear troughs. Dr. Lanfranchi may recommend a facial fat transfer if you want long-lasting volume restoration for a soft, youthful face.
What is a Facial Fat Transfer?
A facial fat transfer transfers small amounts of fat from your body to your face, restoring lost volume. Also called fat grafting, this procedure is an effective and long-lasting alternative to dermal fillers for adding volume to the cheeks, lips, or under-eye hollows.
For the first step of a facial fat transfer, Dr. Lanfranchi will use liposuction to remove excess fat from somewhere else on your body, such as the thighs or abdomen. After purifying the fat, he strategically injects it into thin or hollow areas of the face.
Is There Downtime After a Facial Fat Transfer?
Fat grafting is a fairly simple procedure requiring only local anesthesia and a tiny incision for liposuction. You’ll have some swelling and bruising in the donor and injection sites, which subsides after a couple of weeks. Most patients take one week off work.
Facial Fat Transfer Recovery Tips
The fat transferred to your face needs time to settle and heal in its new location, and some of the fat cells will inevitably be reabsorbed. You can optimize your results by protecting the transferred fat with a few recovery tips.
1: Hydrate, eat well, and don’t smoke
The transferred fat cells need to establish blood supply in their new location, and hydration is crucial for them to do so. Ensure you get plenty of water and electrolytes for the first couple of months after the procedure. Additionally, healthy foods–particularly proteins–are a must for optimal recovery.Â
Finally, smoking can significantly hinder the healing process and make it harder for your transferred fat to survive. Patients should be non-smokers for the best results or willing to quit smoking for several weeks before and after the procedure.
2: Maintain a steady weight
Maintaining a healthy weight is a good idea anytime, but especially after fat grafting. If you lose weight after the procedure, you will likely lose some of your newly transferred fat and undo the results.
3: Avoid pressure on your face
While the transferred fat cells are settling in, you’ll need to avoid putting pressure on them. Too much pressure can damage the fat cells and disrupt their blood supply. Be gentle when touching and washing your face, and keep pressure off the injection area when you sleep.
Facial Fat Transfer Results
With these simple aftercare tips, you can enjoy optimal results from fat grafting. You’ll see improved volume as soon as swelling and bruising fade, but it takes several months to assess the full results. You can enjoy the final results of a facial fat transfer in about nine months. Whatever fat survives those first few months should be permanent as long as you maintain a steady weight.
I am very pleased with my surgery. I was initially VERY nervous as much as I wanted to get it done since it was my face that was getting work done on. I have never had anything done before surgically. I did exactly as he instructed post op and healed quickly and felt great. I was concerned though after about 6 weeks wondering why my face was still not the shape I feel it should’ve been. I felt my cheeks were too high. I had the lower face life and fat transfer done and he told me repeatedly that it’d take time to obtain the final results but I was getting impatient…I wanted instant gratification (don’t we all). I am now at 13 week mark and I can honestly say for the last 2 weeks I finally feel amazing and very comfortable taking pictures of myself again with friends and family. I took him a picture of me from 10 yrs ago and I look younger NOW than I did in the picture. Very very glad I got this done. I workout often and care about how I look and I didn’t feel that I looked how young I felt, now I do : ) Thank you Dr Lanfranchi! By the way….the ENTIRE staff is extremely accommodating and caring. Thanks for everything AJ, Ryan & DeDe !
Take The First Step – Request A Consultation
Ready to learn more about a facial fat transfer? The first step is to come in for an in-person consultation with Dr. Lanfranchi. Please fill out the form on this page to request a consultation or call our office directly at (702) 929-3880 during normal business hours (please leave a message if we are unable to answer). The Lanfranchi Center serves the Las Vegas and Henderson, NV areas.