Facial Fat Grafting in Kyiv

Fat grafting (lipofilling) transfers the patient's own fat to restore volume and reshape the face. Fat is taken from an area with enough of it (abdomen, thighs), purified and injected with fine cannulas into the cheekbones, temples, cheeks, chin or under the eyes. At UKRMED Plastic Surgery, facial fat grafting with graft harvesting is performed in a single procedure.

Why autologous fat

• Your own tissue — no risk of allergy or reaction to foreign material.
• Natural result — fat is soft and behaves like your own tissue.
• Long-lasting effect — cells that survive stay for a long time.
• Better skin quality — fat tissue contains stromal cells that influence the skin above.

Who facial contouring with fat grafting suits

• age-related loss of volume in the cheeks, cheekbones and temples;
• hollows under the eyes;
• facial asymmetry;
• atrophic scars and deformities after injury;
• a wish for natural volume without fillers.

Treatment areas

• Cheekbones and cheeks — restoring midface support and softening the transition to the lower eyelid.
• Temples — filling hollow temples that make the face look tired and older.
• Chin and jawline — a sharper profile and outline.
• Nasolabial area — softening folds caused by volume loss.
• Under-eye area — delicate correction of shadowy hollows with very small portions.
• Lips — natural augmentation without fillers.

The surgeon plans the areas so the face looks balanced, not "filled".

What to know about graft survival

Not all transferred fat survives. A review of studies using 3D volume measurement on the face found that 21% to 82% of the graft is retained, depending on processing technique and area. The surgeon therefore allows for some resorption and sometimes plans a top-up after several months. The final result is assessed at about three to six months.

A 2026 systematic review of complications notes that fat necrosis and oil cysts are rare but possible, most often around the eyes and after repeat sessions. They are usually treated successfully without surgery.

Autologous fat transfer: the procedure

1. Consultation and planning. The surgeon marks the areas lacking volume and the donor site.
2. Anaesthesia. Local, or combined with sedation depending on the extent.
3. Harvesting. Through small punctures with a fine cannula, as in liposuction.
4. Processing. Fat is purified by filtration or centrifugation — methods that, according to the review, give better retention.
5. Injection. In tiny portions into different tissue layers so each particle gets a blood supply.

The procedure takes one to two hours.

Recovery

For the first one to two weeks, swelling and bruising are visible on the face and at the donor site. Sleep with your head raised, avoid facial massage, saunas, exercise and pressure on the treated areas. Most people return to work after one to two weeks.

Contraindications

Acute infections, uncontrolled chronic illness, bleeding disorders, pregnancy and breastfeeding, and very little body fat.

Fat grafting or fillers

Dermal fillers with hyaluronic acid give an instant result and are easy to adjust, but the effect is temporary. Radiesse stimulates collagen and lasts longer. Fat tissue transfer is a surgical procedure with a longer-lasting effect and natural texture, especially when a lot of volume is needed. For skin quality without volume, nano fat grafting is more suitable. For atrophic scars, fat can be combined with scar correction. As facial plastic surgery goes, it is one of the most natural options for facial rejuvenation.

Risks

• Swelling and bruising — expected; most swelling settles in one to two weeks.
• Partial fat resorption — some of the transferred fat does not survive, so a repeat session is sometimes needed after a few months.
• Irregularities, lumps and oil cysts — rare; injecting small amounts through fine cannulas reduces the risk.
• Asymmetry — corrected at a repeat stage.
• Vascular complications — rare but serious for any fat injection into the face. The surgeon therefore uses blunt cannulas and injects slowly without pressure.

Prices at UKRMED

Sources

1. Wang G. H., Zhao J. F., Xue H. Y., Li D. Facial aesthetic fat graft retention rates after filtration, centrifugation, or sedimentation processing techniques measured using three-dimensional surface imaging devices. Chin Med J (Engl), 2019. https://doi.org/10.1097/CM9.0000000000000016
2. Jerliu A., Watters A., Harrison L. et al. Fat Necrosis After Facial Autologous Fat Grafting: A Systematic Review of Reported Complications and Management Strategies. Aesthetic Plast Surg, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-026-06047-z