Is Facial Fat Grafting Painful?

Fat grafting is relatively painless due to the anesthesia used. Mild soreness in both the recipient and donor regions is common after the procedure. Dr. Sato will provide prescriptions for pain medications, and you can also use over-the-counter painkillers to mitigate any lingering soreness.

How Many Appointments Will I Need?

The number of facial fat grafting sessions you will need depends on the specific areas you wish to address and on your desired volume. Augmenting the lips with injected fat usually takes only one session. Dr. Sato will advise you on the exact number of treatments you will need during your private consultation in Houston, TX.

How Long Until I See Results?

While you will see some improvement in your facial volume right away, mild swelling can temporarily obscure your final results. Within several weeks, you will enjoy a more youthful appearance with fuller-looking facial contours.

Can I Combine Facial Fat Grafting With Other Procedures?

Yes! Facial fat transfer is most commonly paired with a facelift, which can address both sagging skin and volume loss in a single session. Dr. Sato can also suggest other complementary combinations to promote youthfulness.

What Are the Risks Associated With Facial Fat Grafting?

Facial fat grafting comes with the following risks: Infection Asymmetry Fat necrosis Choosing an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon such as Dr. Erika Sato in Houston, TX will greatly minimize the risk of complications after an aesthetic procedure.

Abilene, TX

In Houston

Facial Fat Grafting

Introduction to Facial Fat Grafting

While wrinkles and lines are well-known telltale signs of aging, a less-explored signal of maturity is the volume loss that can occur in the cheeks, temples, jawline, and under-eye region. Loss of fat volume can make the facial contours appear hollow and gaunt, leading to a fatigued and depleted aesthetic. Dr. Erika Sato, a precision-oriented board-certified plastic surgeon in Abilene, TX, performs facial fat grafting to enhance your natural youthfulness and vitality, boosting your self-confidence.

Located in Abilene, Texas, Embody Plastic Surgery provides facial fat grafting for patients all over central Texas and is conveniently located within driving distance to Lubbock, Odessa, and Fort Worth.

Achieve Balance

What is Facial Fat Grafting?

For patients who prefer to use their own natural autologous materials rather than synthetic fillers or implants when pursuing facial rejuvenation, fat grafting can provide marked aesthetic improvements, eradicating sunken contours and adding supple fullness to the lips, cheeks, temples, and jawline. In addition to restoring a more vital and attractive countenance, the procedure can correct facial asymmetry, indentations, and depressions, resulting in a smoother complexion. Facial fat grafting is commonly combined with a facelift to optimize and enhance your final results. Fat grafting has the added benefit of sculpting the donor regions, typically the abdomen, thighs, or hips.

Woman with wet hair, standing outdoors in the evening light, looking intently into the distance - Facial Fat Grafting in Houston, TX

Viality™

Sientra’s Viality™ Fat Transfer System represents a significant advancement in autologous fat grafting, particularly for breast augmentation and reconstruction procedures. Developed in collaboration with researchers at Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital, Viality™ is the only system incorporating AuraClens™, a proprietary lipoaspirate wash that enhances fat viability and retention. This system has demonstrated over 80% volume retention at both 3- and 6-month intervals in clinical studies, setting a new benchmark for fat transfer outcomes.

Designed for efficiency and versatility, Viality™ can process between 50 and 1,050 mL of lipoaspirate in a single run. It employs a gentle fat-mixing mechanism to protect viable fat cells and utilizes a super-absorbent foam layer to remove excess fluids, thereby concentrating the fat for reinjection. The system’s rapid processing time—under 10 minutes—further enhances its appeal in surgical settings. These features collectively contribute to more predictable and natural-looking results for patients.

What Are the Benefits of Facial Fat Grafting?

Facial fat grafting provides Abilene-area patients with a wide range of impressive advantages, including:

Natural-looking contour augmentation
Fuller lips and cheeks
A more youthful, rejuvenated appearance
Dual sculpting benefits for the donor and recipient regions
Improvements that last over five years
This leads to a more positive self-image

Who Are the Best Candidates For Facial Fat Grafting?

With facial fat grafting, it is important that patients have adequate donor fat available for transfer in the belly, thighs, hips, or other regions. If this donor fat is not readily accessible, Dr. Sato will choose an alternative method of enhancing your appearance and providing you with the youthful facial contours you desire. As with most cosmetic procedures, it is critical that you are a healthy non-smoker with realistic expectations for your results. Dr. Sato will conduct a thorough consultation process in Abilene, TX, to ensure that facial fat transfer is the best and safest approach for meeting your goals.

Let’s Get Started

What’s the first step?

The first step toward a refreshed facial appearance is to meet with Dr. Sato for an informative and empowering consultation in Abilene, Texas. Dr. Sato will be delighted to answer any questions you may have with sincerity and care. She will review your medical history, including any allergies, pre-existing conditions, past surgeries, and current medications and supplements. This will aid her in minimizing the risk of complications and ensuring that facial fat transfer is completely safe for you.

What to Expect on the Day of Facial Fat Grafting Surgery

The facial fat grafting procedure involves using liposuction to harvest fat from another area of the body, such as the hips, flanks, thighs, or abdomen. Once the fat cells have been sterilized and purified, they are injected into areas of facial depletion to enhance fullness and suppleness. The fat will then develop its own blood supply to thrive in this new location. Because not all the fat cells will survive, Dr. Sato typically injects more fat than is needed, ensuring your final results are balanced and attractive.

Facial Fat Grafting Recovery

Fat grafting in Abilene is a highly individualized procedure, and recovery will vary depending on the amount of fat extracted, the number of areas liposuctioned, and the volume and location of fat injections. Dr. Sato will provide detailed instructions about recovery at your personal consultation, and it will be best to follow these directions as closely as possible. Contact us today for your consultation, where you can ask any questions you may have regarding the procedure, recovery, price, and more.

How Much Does Facial Fat Grafting Cost in Abilene, TX?

The price of fat grafting in Abilene depends on the details of each procedure. Costs are based on factors such as total procedure time, techniques, and anesthesia. During your private initial meeting, Dr. Sato can discuss all costs associated with facial fat grafting and provide a personalized and transparent quote for services.

Why Choose Dr. Sato?

Dr. Erika Sato is a renowned board-certified plastic surgeon who performs the full gamut of cosmetic procedures for the face, breasts, and body.

Dr. Sato is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and an active member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the Texas Medical Association (TMA), and the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS).

Throughout her noteworthy career, Dr. Sato has been cited for excellence by a wide array of publications and organizations. She was honored with the Texas Super Doctors award in Texas Monthly from 2022 to 2024, and in 2021 and 2023, she was selected by Newsweek as one of America’s “Best Plastic Surgeons.” Dr. Sato received recognition as a Top Doctor by TX Top Doc and was the Houston Chronicle’s choice for Best Plastic Surgeon in Houston. She also appeared as a Bravo’s Married to Medicine Houston cast member.

Facial Fat Grafting FAQ’S

Facial fat grafting comes with the following risks:
- Infection
- Asymmetry
- Fat necrosis
Choosing an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon such as Dr. Erika Sato in Houston, TX will greatly minimize the risk of complications after an aesthetic procedure.

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Schedule a consultation

If you are in the Abilene, Texas, area and would like to learn more about how facial fat transfer can rejuvenate your look, contact Dr. Erika Sato today for a private, informative consultation. We are excited to hear from you and create your personalized treatment plan for a more youthful appearance and heightened self-confidence.

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