Your own tissue. Restoring the face.
The aging face loses volume as much as it descends. Temples hollow, cheeks flatten, tear troughs deepen, and the mid-face loses the fullness that defines youthful appearance. Fat transfer to face — also called autologous fat grafting — addresses volume loss using the patient's own tissue, harvested through gentle liposuction from a donor site (typically abdomen or flanks), purified, and placed in careful microdroplets across multiple facial regions.
Unlike hyaluronic acid fillers — which are excellent for many concerns but require repeat treatment every 6–18 months — fat transfer produces permanent volume restoration from cells that establish their own blood supply and remain integrated in the tissue indefinitely. The tradeoff: a real surgical procedure (though brief), a real recovery, and an expected 20% to 50% reabsorption of transferred fat over the first 3 to 6 months before the final volume settles.
At NCSS, fat transfer to face is performed by six of our affiliated surgeons. It is often combined with facelift, LiteLift®, blepharoplasty, or brow lift — the volume restoration that surgical repositioning alone cannot deliver.
Who this procedure is designed for.
Fat transfer to face addresses volume loss specifically — the hollowing and flattening that repositioning surgery alone cannot correct.
Visible facial volume loss
Hollow temples, flattened cheeks, deepening tear troughs, prominent nasolabial folds, thinning lips — any or all of these.
Wanting permanent restoration rather than repeat filler
The right choice for patients tired of the 6–18 month filler cycle and its cumulative long-term cost.
Sufficient donor-site fat
Fat transfer requires harvestable fat from another region of the body. Very lean patients may not have enough donor volume for facial work — though facial work needs far less than breast work.
Combining with other facial surgery
Frequently combined with facelift, LiteLift®, blepharoplasty, or brow lift — adding volume restoration to tissue repositioning produces more complete rejuvenation than either alone.
Willing to accept staged results if needed
Some patients achieve their goal with a single session; others benefit from a second session six months later to build on the retained volume from the first.
Realistic expectations
Fat transfer produces soft, natural volume that ages with your face. It does not produce the immediately-projected shapes of fillers. The trade-off is intentional.
Every scheduled surgical patient is offered a free Rest-Assure pre-operative consultation with Dr. Rand Scott personally — medical history, medication planning, and discharge coordination before surgery day.
Three stages, one procedure.
Fat transfer to face involves the same three technical stages as fat transfer to breast — harvest, purification, transfer — with facial-specific refinements at each stage:
Stage one — the harvest
Gentle low-vacuum liposuction from a donor site (abdomen, flanks, or thighs). Facial work requires far less harvested volume than breast work — a small quantity of well-preserved cells outperforms a large quantity of damaged ones.
Stage two — the purification
Controlled centrifugation at a modified rate that removes fluid but preserves cell structure. The purified fat is loaded into small-caliber cannulas designed for facial precision.
Stage three — the transfer
Purified fat is placed in tiny microdroplets across multiple facial regions and multiple tissue layers. For facial work, precision is measured in fractions of a milliliter per pass — the difference between a natural restoration and an over-filled appearance is remarkably small.
Multi-region approach
Common target areas: temples (framing the upper face), cheeks and mid-face (restoring the youthful triangle), tear troughs (reducing under-eye hollows), nasolabial folds and marionette lines (softening these creases), chin (definition), lips (subtle volume). The consultation designs the specific plan.
Combined with surgical procedures
Adds relatively little to the recovery of a combined case. Fat transfer during facelift or blepharoplasty is a natural pairing.
Every case at NCSS is under physician anesthesia — no CRNAs — and Dr. Denise Scott (endocrinology) is on call for our surgical patients.
Two sites. One recovery.
Discharged the day of surgery. Compression garment on donor site; minimal support on facial areas. Multimodal pain protocol keeps discomfort mild.
Swelling in treated facial areas — often significant in the first 3–5 days. Bruising varies. Most patients stay home from public settings this week.
Facial swelling continues to decrease. Donor site bruising resolves. Most patients return to work by day 7–14.
The transferred fat integrates or reabsorbs during this period. Fat cells that establish new blood supply become permanent tissue.
Final volume becomes apparent. Approximately 50%–80% of transferred fat has typically integrated permanently.
The retained fat is permanent — it ages with the face rather than being reabsorbed on filler cycles. A second session, if desired, can build on the retained volume from the first.
Every fat transfer patient at NCSS is covered by our Rest-Assure program: physician anesthesia on the day of surgery, one nurse from arrival through discharge, and post-operative direct access to your surgeon — not an answering service.
Six surgeons. Facial fat expertise.
Fat transfer to face rewards surgeons with facial precision and cell-viability judgment. Meet more than one.
Dr. Edward Bednar
Fat Transfer Specialist30+ years focused on fat transfer; the four-principle approach to cell viability.
View surgeon →Dr. Nichter
California Breast Lift® · Fat Transfer DepthFour decades of aesthetic practice; developed the California Breast Lift® fat transfer technique.
View surgeon →Dr. Horowitz
California Breast Lift® · Fat Transfer DepthEmory + UVA under Milton Edgerton; co-developer of California Breast Lift® fat transfer approach.
View surgeon →Dr. Toohey
All-UC · Full Facial PracticeAll-UC training; fat transfer as part of comprehensive facial rejuvenation.
View surgeon →Dr. Hendricks
Whisper Rule · Refined VolumeTriple-boarded; fat transfer aligned with the whisper aesthetic — natural, not over-filled.
View surgeon →Dr. Andre
New Generation · Trained in Modern TechniquesCleveland Clinic + Pacific Center training; trained in the fat-transfer techniques developed at Pacific Center.
View surgeon →The right starting point is a conversation.
Every fat transfer consultation at NCSS begins with time — time to map your specific volume losses, determine the right donor site, and design a plan that works as a standalone procedure or in combination with facelift, LiteLift®, or blepharoplasty.
Call (949) 644-8182Monday–Thursday, 8am–3pm · Friday by appointment only.
Related procedures.
Facelift
Comprehensive tissue repositioning, commonly combined with fat transfer for the most complete rejuvenation.
Learn more →LiteLift®
Nichter/Horowitz registered short-recovery lower-face technique, often paired with fat transfer for volume restoration.
Learn more →Blepharoplasty
Eyelid surgery — commonly combined with tear trough fat transfer for comprehensive periorbital work.
Learn more →