Applications of fat grafting in facial aesthetic skeletal surgery

Aesthetic skeletal surgery of the face is a powerful tool to alter the facial skeleton; the facial form is enhanced through the use of alloplastic implants and osteotomies of the facial bones. However, the ultimate aesthetic appearance is dictated by how the soft tissue envelope drapes over the altered skeletal foundation. Intraoperative and postoperative fat grafting enhances the final aesthetic result in patients who undergo skeletal aesthetic procedures.

The authors describe cases in which selective fat grafting has been successful in optimizing facial soft tissue symmetry in patients undergoing skeletal aesthetic surgery of the face.

A retrospective chart review of all patients who underwent aesthetic skeletal surgery of the face between November 1, 2003, and October 31, 2011, in the Department of Surgery at Georgetown University Hospital was performed, and any patient who required fat grafting either at the time of aesthetic facial skeletal surgery or in the postoperative period was identified (n = 21). Common indications for fat grafting and the surgical plans are reviewed and presented in this article.

Twenty-one patients were identified who required 37 fat grafting procedures either at the time of aesthetic skeletal surgery of the face or in the postoperative period. The procedures most frequently requiring fat grafting were genioplasty, facial shape modifications, and facial symmetry improvement. Fat grafting most commonly corrected irregularities or asymmetries and improved the soft tissue contour overlying repositioned bone or alloplastic implants. Most patients were female (72%) with a mean age of 42 years (range, 4-58 years). There were 4 complications in total: 3 surgical site infections (managed conservatively in 1 patient and with incision and drainage in the remaining 2) and 1 hematoma requiring drainage and closure on the day of surgery.

Knowledge of which procedures are likely to require fat grafting and the techniques for doing so can improve the plastic surgeon's ability to provide optimal aesthetic results following facial skeletal alterations.