Facial Fat Grafting (Fat Transfer) in Paris
In short: Facial fat grafting, also called lipofilling or fat transfer, uses your own fat: harvested by gentle liposuction, purified, then reinjected in tiny amounts where the face has lost volume. About 30% of the grafted fat is usually resorbed in the first months; the fat that takes stays alive. Expect about two weeks of social downtime. Fee: €2,000, all-inclusive.
WHAT FACIAL FAT GRAFTING DOES
Facial fat grafting, also called lipofilling, lipostructure or fat transfer, takes fat from your own body and reinjects it where the face lacks volume. It is used to:
• restore volumes lost with aging, after weight loss or for constitutional reasons, for example at the temples, the cheeks and cheekbones, or under the eyes;
• fill and soften some wrinkles and folds;
• improve the quality of skin damaged by sun exposure or aging;
• rebalance the whole face in combination with a facelift.
Fat is more than a filler. Research since the 2000s has shown that fat tissue contains stem cells and growth factors with regenerative properties, which explains why a fat graft improves the quality, suppleness and texture of the skin where it is injected. This effect appears more slowly than the gain in volume.
HOW THE PROCEDURE IS PERFORMED
The fat is harvested by gentle liposuction, most often from the abdomen or the inner knees, through short incisions of about 3 mm hidden in a natural fold. It is purified by centrifugation, then reinjected through simple punctures with fine cannulas, in tiny amounts, in several layers and directions: this increases the contact between the grafted cells and the surrounding tissue, which improves their survival.
The procedure takes place in the operating room of the clinic, under general anesthesia or, depending on the case, local anesthesia; the choice is made in consultation. It usually lasts one to two hours, depending on the amount of fat to inject and the number of areas treated. It is often done as an outpatient; one night in the clinic may be justified when a large liposuction is combined.
Before surgery, avoid aspirin, anti-inflammatory and anticoagulant medication for five days, and fast for six hours under general anesthesia. Smoking must stop at least one month before and one month after the operation, as it harms both healing and the survival of the graft. Fat grafting also requires enough fat to harvest, which very slim patients do not always have.
HOW MUCH FAT STAYS, AND FOR HOW LONG
The grafted fat is living tissue: it must develop a new blood supply to survive, and the cells that do not succeed are eliminated. A partial resorption, usually around 30%, is therefore observed during the first three to six months. It depends on the area treated, on the quality of the harvested fat, which is specific to each person, and on lifestyle, smoking above all. A slight overcorrection is sometimes performed in some areas to anticipate this loss.
The fat that takes is revascularized and stays alive. It behaves like the fat of the area it came from and does not need to be renewed. The result then follows your weight, as grafted areas become hollow after significant weight loss and fuller after weight gain, and the natural aging of the face continues.
The gain in volume can be seen fairly quickly; the effect on skin quality takes three to six months. A second session is not systematic: if the volume at six months falls short of what was sought, one may be proposed, and the fat already integrated then supports the new graft. This possibility is discussed before the operation, not discovered afterward.
RECOVERY, RISKS AND FEES
Pain is usually mild, like muscle aches, and mostly related to bruising at the harvest sites. Bruising appears within hours on the injected areas and fades in 10 to 15 days; the harvested areas may swell within 48 hours, and this swelling takes about three months to resolve. Physical recovery is usually quick, but plan about two weeks of social downtime.
Afterward, keep the small scars out of the sun and UV light for 12 months, as they could become pigmented, and massage them, together with the harvested areas, from the third week. The grafted areas should not be compressed or subjected to firm contact for three months.
Complications are rare. More fat than expected may be resorbed, or a slight asymmetry or irregularities may appear; they can usually be corrected from the sixth month. Infection is prevented by antibiotics given during surgery and careful hygiene. Very rare cases of skin necrosis, and exceptional cases of blindness after injections around the eyes, have been reported in the international literature.
At Dr Ganon's practice in Paris 8th, facial fat grafting costs €2,000, all-inclusive: the surgeon's fees, the clinic fees and the anesthesiologist's fees when one is needed, which is always the case under general anesthesia. It is not covered by French health insurance. A detailed quote is given in consultation, followed by the legal cooling-off period of at least 15 days; a second session, if needed, is the subject of a new quote. The first consultation costs €100; follow-up visits are not charged.
FAT GRAFTING OR HYALURONIC ACID FILLERS?
Hyaluronic acid is injected in the office in 20 to 30 minutes, without anesthesia or under a numbing cream. The result is immediate, adjustable and reversible, since an enzyme, hyaluronidase, can dissolve the product, and there is no social downtime. But it is temporary: it lasts 12 to 18 months on average, depending on the area and the product, and must be repeated.
Fat grafting is a surgical procedure, and part of the fat is resorbed; but what takes lasts without maintenance and improves the texture and radiance of the skin. Once integrated, fat cannot be dissolved. The choice depends on what needs correcting:
• A single fold, the lips, a moderate under-eye hollow: hyaluronic acid.
• Hollow temples, flattened cheekbones, tear troughs, a face that has lost volume overall: fat grafting.
• The nose: hyaluronic acid, not fat.
The two are often combined: fat restores the deep volumes, and hyaluronic acid, a few months later, refines a detail. In terms of cost, a syringe of hyaluronic acid is €350 (€450 for the under-eye area or the lips) and must be renewed, while fat grafting is a single procedure at €2,000.
FAT GRAFTING IN EYELID SURGERY AND FACELIFTS
Fat grafting has an important place in Dr Ganon's approach to the eyes. In upper blepharoplasty, he removes the excess skin and the inner fat pad, and usually fills the hollow above the lid with fat grafting: an aging look comes from lost volume as well as from loose skin.
On the lower lids, when a fat bag and a hollow coexist, the bag is usually treated first, and fat grafting is often combined with the lower blepharoplasty in the same operation. An isolated hollow under the eye, with no bag and no excess skin, is usually treated with hyaluronic acid injections rather than surgery.
During a G-Lift facelift and neck lift, fat can be added in the same operation where the face has hollowed. Fat grafting restores volume but does not tighten the skin: on the neck and jawline, laxity is treated by the Quantum radiofrequency neck lift or by a lift.
FURTHER READING
In English: blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) in Paris, facelift and neck lift: the G-Lift, Quantum radiofrequency neck lift and English-speaking plastic surgeon in Paris, with practical information for patients traveling to Paris.
French version: Liposuccion et lipofilling du visage. Also in French: lipofilling ou acide hyaluronique and combien de temps dure un lipofilling du visage. To book a consultation, use the appointment page.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT FACIAL FAT GRAFTING
How much does facial fat grafting cost in Paris?
At Dr David Ganon's practice in Paris 8th, facial fat grafting costs €2,000. This all-inclusive fee covers the surgeon, the clinic and, when one is needed, the anesthesiologist; the exact amount appears on the detailed quote.
How much of the transferred fat survives?
A partial resorption, usually around 30%, occurs during the first three to six months; the remaining fat is revascularized and stays alive. The rate depends on the area treated, the quality of the fat and lifestyle, especially smoking.
How long does fat transfer to the face last?
The fat that takes does not need to be renewed. The result then changes with your weight, as grafted areas become hollow after significant weight loss and fuller after weight gain, and with the natural aging of the face.
Is fat grafting better than fillers?
They meet different needs. Hyaluronic acid suits a fold, the lips or a moderate under-eye hollow: it is immediate, adjustable and reversible, but temporary. Fat grafting suits a global loss of volume: it lasts and improves skin quality, but requires surgery.
What is the recovery time after facial fat grafting?
Physical recovery is usually quick, but plan about two weeks of social downtime because of swelling and bruising. Bruising of the injected areas fades in 10 to 15 days.
Where is the fat taken from?
Most often from the abdomen or the inner knees, by gentle liposuction through incisions of about 3 mm hidden in a natural fold. Enough fat is needed, which is not always the case in very slim patients.
Will I need a second session?
Not systematically. If the volume at six months falls short of what was sought, a second session may be proposed, with a new quote; the fat already integrated then supports the new graft.
Can fat grafting be combined with eyelid surgery or a facelift?
Yes. In Dr Ganon's upper blepharoplasty, the hollow above the lid is usually filled with fat; fat grafting is often combined with lower blepharoplasty, and fat can be added during a G-Lift where the face has hollowed.