American Society of Plastic Surgeons
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Louise
5 years ago
Answered

Fat injections in cheeks

I had about 20 cc’s injected into my cheeks. Now I look like the joker. Is there a procedure that I can to reverse what I had done? What are my options? Thank you!

Procedure: Cheek Reduction
Location: chicago, IL

Replies 6

Thomas Sterry
ASPS Surgeon
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This is unfortunate, but there are some options. You should consider either direct suctioning of the inserted fat with a micro-cannula or perhaps (depending on the area affected) buccal fat removal. I would favor the first option, but I have not seen you, so it's hard to say. Please have a look at my blog post on this subject because I think you may find it educational:

https://www.drsterry.com/blog/facial-surgery/buccal-fat-removal-cheek-liposuction/

Good Luck!

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John Borkowski
ASPS Surgeon

That's a difficult question to answer without seeing what you look like. How long ago was the fat injected? If recently, some of the effect may be due to early swelling. Over a period of months, some of the fat will be absorbed. If you are now 3 - 6 months after the procedure, liposuction may be an answer depending on what level the fat was injected. Have you gone back to your surgeon with your concerns? If you have gained weight, the fat in your face can increase in size depending on the area it was taken from. As you see, a lot of factors come into play.

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Rahul Vemula
ASPS Surgeon
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Thanks for your question. How long ago did you have these injections? If it was very recent, please note that on average 50% of fat that is injected anywhere gets absorbed by the body within 6 months of injection. Also immediately after injection, you may have some swelling as well.

If you are more than 6 months from the time of injection still have an unsatisfactory appearance, I suggest you visit your plastic surgeons for options. I do agree with my colleagues here that in this scenario, you would benefit form removal with either buccaneers fat pad removal or micro liposuction.

Best wishes!

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Nelson Castillo

Thank you for sharing your question and I am sorry to hear that your current results have not been what you anticipated. If your surgery was within 3-4 months I would recommend allowing your results to mature for at least that amount of time, as you should see gradual improvement with swelling reduction and fat absorption. If after that time the best option would be to pursue liposuction of the affected areas to gently remove small parcels of fat. Hope this helps.

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Karol Gutowski
ASPS Surgeon
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It depends on how long ago the procedure was done. It takes 2 to 3 months for the swelling to do down. Ask your plastic surgeon for guidance. If more than 3 months have gone by, in some cases, the fat can be removed with liposuction or Kybella injections.

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Reza Momeni
ASPS Surgeon

11 days is typically too early to judge surgical results or that of fat grafting. Be sure to discuss your concerns with your surgeon and ask what they expect as time goes on.

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