Fat grafting is a cosmetic surgical procedure that uses fat tissue from the patient's own body to restore volume and correct facial and body defects caused by aging, trauma, or genetic factors.
The procedure consists of two stages: harvesting fat tissue from areas with excess fat (typically the abdomen, buttocks, or thighs), then processing and re-injecting it into the treatment area. Autologous fat is considered the ideal biological filler due to its absolute compatibility with the body, minimizing the risk of allergic reactions or rejection.
This procedure can be applied to various areas: facial rejuvenation, breast augmentation, buttock augmentation, and volumizing other areas of the body.
Fat grafting helps add volume to the treatment area, tighten the skin, and reduce wrinkles
What are the benefits of fat grafting surgery?
Fat grafting surgery helps restore volume and smoothness to areas of the body with defects or suboptimal contours.
Facial Fat Grafting:The procedure helps add volume to the temples, forehead, cheeks, eye hollows, nasolabial folds, nose, and chin while reducing wrinkles, improving sagging skin, and delivering noticeable rejuvenation results.
Body Fat Grafting: Fat grafting helps sculpt a more balanced and attractive figure for the buttocks and breasts, creating natural curves that complement ideal body proportions. The results deliver a vibrant and healthy appearance.
Simulation of fat grafting
Indication ?
Fat grafting surgery offers numerous aesthetic improvements. The following individuals typically achieve the best results:
For Facial Fat Grafting:
- Forehead and temple area:Wrinkled skin, deep hollows.
- Cheek: Low, sunken, or hollow cheekbones (can combine with mid-face lift for comprehensive mid-face rejuvenation)
The client's face appears more youthful after fat injection to the temples and cheeks.
Client images after Fat Grafting at the cheeks and temples region
Before and after images of client undergoing Fat Grafting to address the eye hollows
60s client undergoing lower eyelid and nasolabial fold fat grafting, and thread lift.
- Glabellar area: Deep wrinkles, prominent crow's feet.
- Lip: Thin and pale lips
- Chin and Jawline: Poor Jawlines contours (can combine with chin liposuction for optimized results)
For Body Fat Grafting
Young mother's beauty transform after Lipo-Injection
- Hand and Finger: Uneven distribution, bony appearance, creating an older-than-age look.
Before and after images of Hand Rejuvenation Fat Grafting
- Breast - Buttocks: Small in sizes, lack the defined contours, create a flat appearance.
Before and After Images of Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation
Client's transformation after undergoing Lipo-Injection
- Other areas: Uneven fat distribution, lead to irregular shape.
Contraindication.
Similar to other cosmetic treatments, fat grafting is not suitable for everyone. Here are a few cases where patients should reconsider or postpone the procedure:
Absolute contraindications.
- Chronic conditions such as diabetes, blood clotting disorders, or immune deficiencies.
- Active infection at the treatment area.
- Individuals who should limit surgery, such as pregnant women.
Procedure details.
Fat grafting surgery involves four main steps: treatment planning, fat harvesting, fat processing, and fat injection. Each step requires specialized techniques, advanced equipment, and experienced surgeons.
Fat is harvested from the abdomen or thighs and grafted for facial rejuvenation
Treatment planning and preoperative preparation
The surgeon will conduct a comprehensive examination to evaluate the treatment area, review medical history, perform clinical assessments, and blood tests. Based on client's aesthetic goals and health status, the surgeon will recommend necessary lifestyle adjustments to optimize surgical outcomes.
Since fat grafting always involves liposuction from donor areas (inner thighs, lower abdomen, back), thorough planning is essential to ensure aesthetic results for both donor and recipient areas. The treatment plan will be personalized based on the following factors:
Facial Fat Grafting:
- Client have small amount of fat: The liposuction plan must be carefully designed to avoid uneven donor area surface.
Body Fat Grafting:
- Having sufficient amount of fat:Surgery can proceed immediately, combining liposuction for a comprehensive effect—reducing excess fat in some areas while adding volume to others.
- Having insufficient amount of fat: If the current fat volume is insufficient for grafting, the surgeon may postpone the surgery and guide the patient through controlled weight gain to obtain enough fat for the procedure.
Available volume of the recipient area:
The surgeon determines the maximum amount of fat that can be safely grafted to each treatment area, based on:
- Skin elasticity and tissue structure to determine the maximum fat grafting volume.
- Blood supply capacity to nourish the grafted fat (increasing fat survival rate and improving long-term results).
Fat harvesting step
Review 4 most advanced liposuction technologies deployed at Viet My Plastic Surgery Hospital
The surgeon selects the appropriate liposuction method based on the amount of fat to be harvested, the patient's health condition, and available technology. Since liposuction techniques differ in how they break down fat tissue, the quality of harvested fat and the aesthetics of the donor area depend largely on the surgeon's skill and the equipment used.
Liposuction process
After local anesthesia, the procedure consists of two stages:
1. Fat liquefaction/breakdown: Using specialized technology to break down the fat cell structure.
2. Liposuction: Harvesting the processed fat through a cannula system.
Liposuction technologies at Viet My Plastic Surgery Hospital:
Microaire (US): Reciprocating cannula technology.
BodyJet (Germany): High-pressure water jet fat disruption technology.
With fat disruption technologies (Microaire, BodyJet, Lysonix), fat is suctioned directly through a vacuum system attached to the cannula tip. With Liposonix technology, fat is liquefied in place and the surgeon harvests it through a small incision in the treatment area.
Fat purifying and selecting step
It is important to note that the solution obtained from liposuction does not solely contain fat cells suitable for grafting, but also includes many impurities that need to be removed.
Fat solution after successful stratification
Fat Grafting (Injecting)
After the fat has been processed, the surgeon loads it into syringes or fat injection guns with sizes appropriate for each treatment area. Fat grafting techniques for the face and body differ significantly in injection method, depth, and volume distribution.
To ensure even fat distribution, natural contouring, and maximum fat cell survival rate, the surgeon must thoroughly understand the anatomical structure of each area, blood supply capacity, and precise layered injection techniques. This is the stage that determines the final aesthetic outcome and requires high skill and extensive clinical experience from the surgeon.
In some cases, the surgeon may combine platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) injections to increase fat cell survival rate and improve skin quality in the treatment area.
Postoperative care and recovery process
To achieve optimal results, patients must follow the surgeon's instructions regarding diet, daily activities, and attend all follow-up appointments to monitor the recovery process.
Immediately after surgery, the treatment area may experience swelling and mild bruising. These symptoms typically subside within the first few days and disappear completely after 4-6 weeks. Compression bandages will be applied to the fat grafting area to stabilize the fat layer and support new blood vessel formation. Patients may apply cool compresses (not cold) during the first 48 hours to reduce swelling and discomfort—note that excessively low temperatures can affect fat cell survival.
If patients wish to have additional fat grafting to achieve the desired volume, they should wait 6-12 months for the grafted fat layer to fully stabilize before undergoing the procedure again.
* The final results also depend on individual's physiology
