Facial fat transfer — frequently asked questions

The fat that survives the first few months gains its own blood supply and behaves as living tissue — it is long-lasting, ages with your face, and does not need routine top-ups the way filler does. What it cannot do is stop ageing itself: the face continues to change over the years, just from a better starting point.

Typically a meaningful portion of transferred fat is resorbed in the first months — commonly cited survival is around 50–70%, varying by area, technique and individual biology. Experienced surgeons plan for this with slight over-correction, and occasionally a small second session is used to refine the result. Any clinic promising 100% survival is not being honest.

They are different tools. Filler is quick, adjustable and reversible but temporary and repeated forever; fat is your own tissue, natural in feel, long-lasting and can improve skin quality — at the cost of a surgical procedure and a settling period. For larger volumes and long horizons fat usually wins; for small, first-time changes filler can be the sensible start. The honest answer depends on your face and goals.

A small amount is harvested by fine liposuction from a donor area with some to spare — usually the abdomen, flanks or inner thighs. The volumes are modest; this is not body-contouring liposuction, though the donor area is treated neatly.

Very lean patients can still have enough donor fat for facial work, since the required volumes are small — but in genuinely fat-poor patients the plan may adjust, or filler may be recommended instead. This is assessed honestly from photos and examination.

Fat — particularly nanofat — carries regenerative cells that can improve skin texture, fine lines and dark under-eye skin over months. Real, but gradual and variable: treat it as a welcome bonus, not the headline promise.

It is usually done as a day case under sedation (or local anaesthesia with sedation), so the procedure itself is comfortable. Afterwards, expect swelling-related tightness in the face and gym-soreness at the donor site for days — most patients manage with simple pain relief.

Most patients are socially presentable at 10–14 days. The face carries extra fullness in the early weeks by design; the true result emerges at 3–6 months as swelling resolves and surviving fat stabilises.

Yes — commonly with blepharoplasty (volume beside eyelid surgery), facelift (volume plus repositioning) or rhinoplasty during the same anaesthesia. Combination is a case-by-case decision made for your face, not a default package.

Swelling, bruising and temporary asymmetry are expected parts of healing. True complications — infection, irregularities, over- or under-correction — are uncommon in experienced hands. The under-eye area demands particular expertise; technique and judgement matter more here than anywhere. All risks are explained in person before you decide.

Typically 4–6 days — consultation and checks, the procedure, early recovery and a final review before flying. Follow-up continues remotely as the result settles.

Travellers from the UK, Ireland, the US, Canada, Germany and the Nordic countries can generally enter visa-free for short tourist stays, with direct flights to Istanbul from most major cities. Rules can change — check officially before travel.

It depends on the areas treated and whether it is combined with other procedures, so it is priced individually. After a free photo assessment you receive a clear, all-inclusive quote — typically 50–70% below comparable private treatment in the UK, US or Northern Europe.

Dr. Erdal is a double board-certified (FACS, FEBOPRAS) plastic & reconstructive surgeon with an Associate Professor title and an official health-tourism authorisation (No. 2026034015610080000444996) for international patients.