Fat Grafting

Facial fat grafting typically causes only mild to moderate discomfort, which most patients find manageable with prescribed pain medications and proper aftercare. The procedure involves both fat harvesting and facial injections so you may experience some soreness, swelling, and bruising in those areas for several days following surgery. However, these symptoms usually subside quickly, and many patients describe the overall experience as less painful than expected compared to other cosmetic surgeries. 

The number of appointments required varies depending on the individual treatment plan; however, patients typically undergo an initial consultation, followed by the surgery itself, and several post-operative follow-ups. The initial consultation enables Dr. Bitar to assess your goals, review your health, and develop a personalized fat grafting plan. After the procedure, you’ll usually have a follow-up visit within one to two weeks to monitor healing, remove any sutures if necessary, and address any concerns. Additional visits may be scheduled to evaluate long-term results and provide any necessary touch-ups, ensuring your complete satisfaction.

While some initial improvement is visible almost immediately after facial fat grafting, it’s important to understand that final results develop gradually over time. Swelling and bruising typically subside within a few weeks, allowing you to see early changes in facial contour and fullness. However, the most refined and lasting results generally appear between six and twelve months after surgery, once the transferred fat has fully settled and integrated into the surrounding tissue. Because each body absorbs fat differently, some volume may be lost during the first few months; a factor that Dr. Bitar accounts for during the procedure to help ensure a smooth, balanced final outcome. The results are long-lasting and, in many cases, permanent, especially when combined with a healthy lifestyle and proper skincare.

Yes, it’s common to pair fat grafting with facelifts, eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), or laser skin treatments for a comprehensive approach to restoring a youthful, balanced appearance. The fat grafting adds volume and contour, while other procedures can tighten skin, reduce wrinkles, or improve texture. During your consultation, Dr. Bitar will discuss the best combination of treatments to align with your aesthetic goals and lifestyle, creating a personalized surgical plan that maximizes your results with minimal downtime.

At the Bitar Cosmetic Surgery Institute, we take pride in ensuring that we provide our patients with the best possible surgical experience, anticipating potential problems or setbacks and addressing them before they occur. This process encompasses preoperative preparation, the actual surgery, and postoperative care.

• General Complications
  General complications can occur with any surgery. Cosmetic surgery is typically a safe procedure performed on healthy patients and, like all surgeries, carries a low risk. To further reduce the risk of complications, we operate at a first-class surgery center with board-certified anesthesiologists and nurses. To avoid postoperative complications, we advocate for early mobilization – patients seen in our office one or two days after surgery- and active participation in their own postoperative care. When we create a partnership, the results invariably improve.
• Bleeding
  Before surgery, our patients undergo testing to ensure they do not have any common bleeding disorders, as determined by their own physicians and through laboratory tests. The use of a tumescent solution during fat harvest decreases the amount of bleeding. Bleeding is rare with any form of fat grafting.
• Infection/Wounds
  The most important step in avoiding infections and wounds is to perform the surgery at a first-rate surgical facility with board-certified anesthesiologists and nurses. Patients are given the appropriate intravenous antibiotic coverage throughout the surgery. During the surgery, the patient’s skin surface is cleaned thoroughly. After the procedure, our patients are prescribed antibiotics to minimize infection. As a result of these extra precautions, our rate of infection after liposuction and fat grafting is extremely rare. When fat grafting is performed alone, there is no skin removal, so open wounds are extremely rare.
• Nerve Injury
  We exercise caution around the nerves in the body and avoid aggressive liposuction and fat grafting procedures, thereby minimizing nerve injury. Temporary loss of sensation from a “stunned” nerve or a bruised nerve may occur in the time period after surgery, but sensation in the vast majority of cases returns within a few weeks.
• Fat Grafting May be Temporary
  One of the least pleasant aspects of fat grafting is that it could be temporary. Unfortunately, the amount of fat that will survive after being transferred is unpredictable. Extra caution is taken in the operating room to ensure the fat is handled and injected properly, maintaining the healthiest fat possible. Multiple treatments may be required to achieve the desired results.
• Smoking
  Smoking is an absolute contraindication in fat grafting. The carbon monoxide and nicotine in cigarette smoke cause a severe reduction in blood supply to the skin during healing. This results in delayed wound healing, wound separation, skin death, decreased take of the transferred fat, and a higher risk of infection. Cotinine testing is performed in patients with a smoking history to ensure that they are safe when having this procedure.
• Post-Operative Car
  Our office will provide you with a detailed post-operative instruction sheet tailored to your specific needs. We typically see patients the day after surgery in one of our offices to ensure everything is going well and that you are healing as planned. Multiple visits in the year after the procedure will help ensure the best possible outcome.