Facial Fat Grafting — Cheeks & Temples

What Is Facial Fat Grafting?

Facial fat grafting is a technique in which a patient's own fat is harvested by gentle liposuction from a donor area (commonly the abdomen, flanks or thighs), carefully processed, and then re-injected into the face to restore lost volume — most often to the cheeks and temples, two areas that hollow noticeably with age. Because the graft is the patient's own living tissue, results tend to look and feel natural, and the fat that survives is generally permanent, unlike synthetic fillers, which are absorbed by the body over months.

Mr Naparus favours autologous fat grafting over synthetic dermal fillers, which he does not offer, as a longer-lasting, biologically compatible option for suitable patients.

Cheeks

Cheek volume loss is one of the earliest and most visible signs of facial ageing, contributing to a flattened, tired or hollow appearance. Fat grafting restores volume to the mid-face in a way that supports the overlying skin, softening nasolabial folds and restoring a more youthful contour — often with a subtler, more natural result than a cheek implant or filler.

Temples

Temple hollowing is under-recognised but has a significant effect on overall facial harmony — hollow temples can make the upper face look skeletal or gaunt, and can accentuate the appearance of the brow and upper eyelid. Fat grafting to the temples is a subtle but often transformative addition, restoring a smoother transition from brow to hairline.

Who Is a Good Candidate?

• Patients with mild to moderate volume loss in the cheeks and/or temples, seeking a natural, non-implant solution
• Patients with adequate donor fat available for harvest
• Patients seeking a longer-lasting result than temporary dermal filler
• Patients undergoing facelift or blepharoplasty, where fat grafting is often combined to restore volume alongside lifting and tightening

Facial fat grafting restores volume — it does not lift or tighten loose or sagging skin. Where skin laxity is the primary concern, a facelift, neck lift or brow lift may be more appropriate, either alone or combined with fat grafting. This is assessed individually at consultation.

The Procedure

Performed under local anaesthetic with sedation, or general anaesthetic if combined with another procedure. Fat is harvested by gentle liposuction, processed to separate viable fat cells from fluid and damaged cells, then re-injected into the face in many small, precise deposits across multiple tissue planes using a blunt cannula. This meticulous, multi-pass technique is central to maximising graft survival and achieving a smooth, natural result rather than lumps or irregularities.

Recovery

Swelling is often significant for the first one to two weeks, and can make the treated areas appear temporarily over-filled — this settles as swelling resolves. Bruising at both the injection and donor sites is common. Most patients return to non-strenuous activity within a few days to a week, with more complete settling over four to six weeks.

How Much Volume Is Retained?

Not all transferred fat survives — some is reabsorbed by the body in the months after surgery, with the remainder establishing a blood supply and surviving long-term. Reported survival rates vary in the literature, broadly in the range of 40–70%, depending on technique, the area treated and individual biology. Because of this, the result is not fully assessable until swelling has resolved and the graft has settled, usually by around three to six months, and a proportion of patients choose a second, smaller top-up session to refine the result once the first graft has stabilised.

Risks

Related Pages

• Nanofat Grafting — a related but distinct technique focused on skin quality rather than volume
• Face & Neck Lift
• Endoscopic Brow Lift
• Blepharoplasty
• Fat Grafting for Breast Augmentation & Asymmetry