Facial fat transfer: what are the side effects?

Fat transfer to the face is an effective treatment for replacing lost fat, filling in facial folds and wrinkles and/or reshaping areas of the face. As with any surgical procedure, there is always a small risk, which your plastic surgeon will explain before you undergo treatment.

If you’re doing your research on the possible complications of facial fat transfer, then look no further. One of our specialists Ms Monica Fawzy explains all from her London clinic, including what you need to discuss with your surgeon during your initial consultation.
 

Are there possible complications?

Roughly up to 50-60% of the initial volume inserted may be lost and a touch-up procedure may be required. Common side effects of a facial fat transfer are bruising and swelling, a feeling of numbness or altered sensation in the fat-filled areas. This is usually temporary. Bleeding and infection are uncommon.

In addition, there is the possibility of minor asymmetry if the volume loss in both sides of the face is not exactly equal. However, if you look closely at any face, including very attractive ones, then you would notice that no two sides are exactly symmetrical.

Lastly, an extremely rare but serious complication of any facial filler injection (including over the counter fillers) is an intravascular injection (injection into a blood vessel), resulting in an embolism, stroke, blindness or skin necrosis (loss of skin).

As far as I am aware, there have been 93 cases of embolism reported worldwide to date. There are technical steps to prevent this, but it is important that anyone considering this procedure is aware of it however small a risk.
 

Are there alternatives to facial fat transfer?

Yes, with regards to volume augmentation, the alternative is facial implants, which allow the promise of a defined volume augmentation in one step (no risk of fat loss before the fat takes). However, the disadvantage is that the patient’s own tissue is not used as with fat, along with its regenerative properties and it brings its own implant-based risks (infection, possible malposition although this is small).

The other alternative is the multitude of over-the-counter fillers. The advantage of fat is the improvement of tissue quality as an added bonus and the fact that the patient’s own tissue is used with a more long-lasting result.

With regards to improving ageing-related tissue quality, the alternative to consider may be medical peels used to remove the outer layer of the skin and promote collagen formation. Lasers are used to tighten the skin, for example in the lower eyelids. In addition, there are more recently developed over-the-counter fillers which hydrate the skin.
 

What should patients ensure they discuss with their plastic surgeon?

As with all plastic surgery, it is essential that the patient and surgeon are on the exact same page with regards to the kind of result the patient wishes to achieve. In patients who wish to reverse age-related changes, it is extremely helpful to bring old photographs along with them to their consultation (with both front and three-quarter views) to give the surgeon an idea of what they would like to achieve.



You can book an appointment with Ms Fawzy via her Top Doctor’s profile here if you would like to discuss your facial fat transfer options.