Adding Fat Grafting to a Facelift

Some facelift plans include fat grafting and some do not. When a surgeon suggests the two together, a few questions show what each part is for and whether adding fat grafting suits you.

Two different jobs

A facelift and fat grafting are separate procedures. Ask the surgeon to describe what each part of the plan is meant to change in your face. If a plan combines them, ask what you would lose or gain by doing only one.

Questions about the combined plan

Ask where the fat would come from and where it would go, and why those areas. Ask what the surgeon expects you to notice at each stage, and who looks after you if something does not go as planned.

Ask whether doing both at once changes anything about planning compared with doing them separately. Keep notes on the answers.

Background on rejuvenation techniques

Review articles can show you how researchers group rejuvenation techniques. One example is a comprehensive review of surgical and non-surgical anti-aging procedures, which covers the field broadly. Treat it as background and not as advice for your face.

A plastic surgery society also keeps an index of cosmetic procedures that lets you compare how each one is described.

Outcome studies

A paper on patient satisfaction following facelifts is one example of a peer-reviewed outcome study. It describes other patients, not a forecast for you.

Does one operation or two suit your face?

Decide first whether your concern calls for a facelift, fat grafting, or both. Then ask a surgeon in the Mercer Island area to explain each part of the plan separately and together, and compare the explanation with at least one other opinion.

If the explanation is vague about what each part does, ask again before you book.