What Percentage of Facial Fat Grafting Actually Survives?
Reported long-term retention commonly falls around half to two-thirds of the injected volume, with wide variation by area, technique and person.
Transferred fat must pick up a new blood supply in its recipient site, and the cells that fail to connect are resorbed over the first weeks to months. That is why surgeons overfill slightly and why the volume you see at week one is not the final result. Published series most often report long-term retention somewhere around 50 to 70 percent.
What moves the number up or down
Areas that move a lot, like the lips, hold fat less well than quieter zones like the forehead or front cheek. Harvesting and injection technique, smoking, and each person’s tissue biology shift retention too — which is why quoted percentages vary so widely between individuals.
Because resorption is expected, a planned second session several months later is a normal part of many treatment plans, not a failure. Ask a specialist during consultation how your target area typically behaves and whether a touch-up round is built into the plan.
MediIndex articles are for general information only and are not medical advice, diagnosis, or advertising. Outcomes vary by individual — consult a board-certified specialist for personal decisions.