What Is Fat Transfer (Fat Grafting)? How It Works for the Face

Fat transfer, also called fat grafting or lipofilling, moves fat from one part of the body to another — most commonly from the abdomen or flanks to the face — to restore volume that's been lost or to soften contours the same way filler does, but using your own tissue.

How the Process Works

Fat is first harvested through gentle liposuction from a donor area, then processed to separate viable fat cells from fluid and damaged cells, and finally reinjected in small, carefully placed amounts into the target area — commonly the cheeks, temples, or under the eyes.

Facial Fat Transfer vs. Under-Eye Fat Transfer

The same technique is used across different facial areas, but under-eye (tear trough) fat transfer requires particularly fine, precise placement given how thin and visible the skin is in that area — this is a more technically demanding application than adding volume to the cheeks or temples.

A Note on "Nano Fat"

Nano fat grafting refers to further processing fat into a finer emulsion, sometimes used for skin quality improvement (including acne scarring) rather than pure volume restoration. It's a variation on the same underlying technique rather than a separate procedure.

Fat Transfer vs. Dermal Filler

Filler is a synthetic product injected in a quick office visit, while fat transfer requires a procedure to harvest and process fat first. In exchange, fat that survives the initial healing period tends to last much longer than filler, since it becomes living tissue rather than a product that gradually breaks down.

See candidacy and recovery details on the fat transfer procedure page.