What is a Fat Transfer?
Fat transfer, or fat grafting, is a procedure that removes fat from one area of the body and places it into another to restore volume and contour.
Fat is typically harvested from areas such as the abdomen, flanks, or thighs and transferred to areas like the face, under-eye hollows, hands, buttocks, and hips, or to soften contour irregularities after prior surgery. For breast volume specifically, see fat transfer breast augmentation.
This is not filler. It is the transplantation of living tissue that must establish a new blood supply to survive. The goal is to restore natural volume and proportion without overcorrection.
is this procedure
Right for you?
- Volume achieved through fat grafting
- Improved contour and proportion
- Enhanced softness and tissue quality
- No foreign materials or implants
- Volume loss related to aging or weight changes
- Contour irregularities or asymmetry
- Hollowing or flattening of natural curves
- The desire for enhancement without synthetic implants
- Secondary refinement following prior surgery
The focus is restoring structure and proportion, not overcorrection.
- Face and under-eye hollowing
- Hands
- Buttocks and hips
- Contour irregularities following surgery
- Volume restoration following implant removal
Meet Dr. Daniel Gould
Dr. Daniel Gould is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon in Beverly Hills, CA. His fat grafting work centers on facial and body contour: restoring volume to the temples, midface, and under-eye region, refining irregularities after previous surgery, and rebuilding soft tissue support where aging or weight loss has removed it. A physician-scientist with MD and PhD training, his published research includes fat grafting technique and adipose biology.
Board-Certified Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon | Beverly Hills, CA
Frequently asked questions
Fat transfer is considered safe when performed with proper technique in an appropriate surgical setting. Because your own tissue is used, there is no risk of rejection. As with any procedure, risks such as infection, fat resorption, or contour irregularities are reviewed in detail during consultation.
Filler adds volume temporarily. Fat transfer relocates living tissue. Filler is placed as a gel and gradually breaks down, which makes it well suited to short-term refinement and adjustment. Grafted fat that establishes a blood supply becomes part of the surrounding tissue and behaves like the fat that was already there. The trade-off is that fat transfer is a surgical procedure with recovery, and the final volume is less precisely controlled at the time of placement.
Fat is harvested through liposuction from areas such as the abdomen, flanks, thighs, or back. Donor sites are selected based on available volume and overall body proportion, allowing for simultaneous contour improvement.
Yes, and the two are frequently planned together. Lifting procedures reposition tissue that has descended. Fat grafting replaces volume that has genuinely been lost. Most patients presenting with facial ageing have some degree of both, and addressing only one leaves the result incomplete. Whether the procedures are combined or sequenced depends on your anatomy and is determined during consultation.
Cost varies based on the volume transferred, donor areas, and overall surgical complexity. A personalized plan is developed during consultation, and exact pricing is reviewed afterward with the patient coordinator.
Many patients achieve their result in one procedure. Some require a second. Because a portion of transferred fat resorbs before the remainder stabilizes, volume goals are set conservatively rather than overcorrected at the outset. Where significant volume loss is being addressed, staging the treatment across two sessions several months apart often produces a more controlled outcome than attempting it in one.
Do you have additional questions?
Speak with our team to explore whether a tailored, Fat Transfer in Beverly Hills anatomy-first approach is right for you.