Dr. Sam Lam Plastic Surgery Forum

Hi Dr. Lam,

I have a question about fat grafting. I would like to know if the fat taken from another part of the body and transfered to the face is the same type of fat that was lost. In other words, is fat just fat? You have a very informative webiste. Thank you!

Great question. To be honest, I don't have a purely scientific answer to that. However, the way that I like to state it is that I use fat that no matter how much you try to lose your fat, you won't in those areas. Therefore, I think those areas (like the hips, thighs, belly) are much more estrogen rich. I think that is part of the reason that there can oftentimes be a skin texture and tone change (i.e., smoother, softer) over a year because of the estrogen effects on the skin quality, which is favorable for both men and women. I like the "best fat", preferably from where you have the most fat and also where hopefully you have not been liposuctioned. For men, obviously, all we have is the belly in most cases. Hope that helps. Thanks for the question.
best,
sml