Fat transfer, also called fat grafting or autologous fat transfer, is a cosmetic procedure that removes fat from one area of the body and carefully transfers it to another area where additional volume or contour is desired.

Because the transferred tissue comes from your own body, fat grafting can provide a natural option for restoring volume, improving contour, and addressing selected areas of age-related volume loss.

What Is Fat Transfer?

Fat transfer involves three general steps:

Fat is removed from a donor area using liposuction.

The harvested fat is carefully processed.

Selected fat cells are injected into the treatment area in small, controlled amounts.

The procedure can be used to restore or enhance volume in selected areas of the face or body depending on the patient's goals and treatment plan.

Facial Fat Transfer

The face naturally loses volume with age.

Changes in facial fat, bone, skin, and soft tissue can contribute to:

• Hollow cheeks
• Temporal hollowing
• Changes around the eyes
• Flattening of youthful facial contours
• Deepened folds
• Loss of soft-tissue support

Facial fat grafting can restore selected areas of volume while using the patient's own tissue.

It may be performed alone or combined with procedures such as a facelift, eyelid surgery, or brow lift.

Where Does the Fat Come From?

Fat is typically harvested from an area where there is enough available tissue for collection.

Potential donor areas may include:

• Abdomen
• Flanks
• Thighs
• Other selected areas

The donor site depends on the patient's anatomy and the amount of fat needed.

Fat harvesting for transfer is not necessarily intended to produce major body contouring changes. Its primary purpose is to obtain suitable tissue for grafting.

How Does Fat Grafting Work?

After fat is harvested, it is processed to prepare the tissue for transfer.

The surgeon then places small amounts of fat into carefully selected tissue planes.

Fat is typically introduced gradually rather than as one large deposit. This helps distribute the grafted tissue and allows the surgeon to sculpt the treated area.

Some of the transferred fat will be naturally reabsorbed by the body. The fat that successfully establishes a blood supply can remain long-term.

For this reason, final volume cannot be predicted with absolute precision.

What Can Fat Transfer Improve?

Depending on the treatment area, fat transfer may help:

• Restore age-related volume loss
• Improve facial contour
• Add volume to hollow areas
• Smooth selected transitions between facial structures
• Complement facelift or eyelid surgery
• Enhance soft-tissue proportions
• Create more balanced facial contours

It is not appropriate for every type of wrinkle or contour concern.

How Long Does Fat Transfer Last?

Fat transfer is different from temporary injectable fillers.

Some transferred fat is naturally absorbed during healing. The fat that successfully survives can provide long-term volume.

However, transferred fat remains living tissue. It can change with:

• Aging
• Weight gain
• Weight loss
• Hormonal changes
• Other natural changes in the body

No surgeon can guarantee that a specific percentage of transferred fat will remain permanently.

Schedule a Fat Transfer Consultation in Norwich, CT

If you are considering fat transfer or facial fat grafting in Norwich, CT, Connecticut Surgical Arts can evaluate your anatomy and help determine whether using your own fat is an appropriate way to restore volume or improve contour.