Fat Grafting with Facelift: Why Surgeons Recommend the Combo

Introduction

In aesthetic surgery, the most natural-looking results often come from balance — not just tightening what has loosened, but restoring what has been lost. That’s why many experienced plastic surgeons, including those here at Gangnam Seoyon Plastic Surgery, now recommend combining facelift surgery with autologous fat grafting.

It’s not simply about looking younger. It’s about restoring vitality, volume, and harmony — in a way that feels authentically “you.”

The Changing Face of Aging: More Than Just Sagging

Aging doesn’t happen in one direction. While gravity pulls tissues downward, volume depletion pulls the face inward.

Over time, the cheeks lose their fullness, the temples hollow, and the area under the eyes sinks. The skin begins to drape over diminished support structures — much like fabric slipping over a deflated cushion.

Many patients who seek a facelift imagine that lifting alone will solve the problem. But to be honest, most are surprised to learn that a lift without volume restoration can sometimes make the face look overly tight or hollow. That’s where fat grafting becomes essential.

What Is Fat Grafting — and Why It Complements a Facelift

Fat grafting (also known as fat transfer or lipofilling) uses a patient’s own purified fat to restore youthful fullness to areas of volume loss. It’s a natural filler with regenerative benefits, containing stem cells and growth factors that can improve skin texture and elasticity.

When performed alongside a facelift, fat grafting addresses what tightening alone cannot — the subtle curves and contours that define a healthy, youthful face.

At Gangnam Seoyon Plastic Surgery, Dr. Dong-il Choi often describes the procedure this way:

“The facelift repositions what has descended; fat grafting replenishes what has disappeared. When these two are done together, the result feels balanced — never overdone.”

Why Surgeons Recommend Doing Both at Once

1. Harmonized Rejuvenation

A facelift without fat grafting may tighten the jawline and neck beautifully, but the upper or midface can still appear sunken. By addressing both structure (through lifting) and volume (through fat transfer), the entire face is rejuvenated in harmony.

This combination creates softer transitions between the cheeks, temples, and lower face — something that even the best surgical lift cannot achieve alone.

2. Long-Term Naturalness

One of the most common fears patients express is looking “operated on.”
A carefully planned facelift–fat graft combo counters that risk. Because the transferred fat is your own tissue, it integrates seamlessly over time, producing a look that remains natural even as aging continues.

In many cases, patients who undergo this combination actually age better, as the added volume maintains facial balance longer than a lift alone.

3. Efficiency and Safety

Combining procedures means one anesthesia session, one recovery period, and one cohesive surgical plan.

For patients traveling from abroad — a large portion of Seoyon’s clientele — this approach is both practical and cost-effective. It also reduces cumulative surgical stress, since the facial tissue is already being treated in a single, controlled setting.

Our clinic’s one-doctor policy ensures that Dr. Choi personally performs both the lifting and the fat grafting, maintaining continuity and precision throughout.

4. Skin Quality Improvement

Fat grafting does more than add volume. Because harvested fat contains stem cells and growth factors, it can subtly improve skin tone, elasticity, and luminosity.

Patients often notice that their skin looks healthier months after surgery — smoother and more hydrated, with smaller pores and improved elasticity.

This regenerative effect complements the mechanical lifting of the facelift, resulting in not just a younger appearance, but younger skin quality as well.

How the Combined Surgery Is Performed

At Gangnam Seoyon Plastic Surgery, the process is meticulously customized.

1. Assessment & Planning:
   Every face tells a different story. Dr. Choi carefully evaluates not only sagging areas but also where fat loss has changed the balance — especially in the temples, cheeks, nasolabial folds, and under-eye region.

2. Fat Harvesting:
   Fat is gently collected from areas like the abdomen or thighs using microcannulas. The goal is not body contouring, but obtaining healthy, high-quality fat cells.

3. Purification:
   The harvested fat is refined and filtered to remove oil and fluids, leaving behind pure, viable fat ready for grafting.

4. Facelift Procedure:
   Depending on the patient’s needs, this may involve a SMAS facelift (lifting deeper muscle layers), a mini-lift, or a neck lift. Dr. Choi repositions sagging tissues upward and outward to restore youthful structure.

5. Fat Injection:
   Using fine cannulas, microdroplets of purified fat are carefully injected into targeted areas — often in multiple layers — to ensure smooth integration and long-lasting results.

Every step is performed by the same surgeon, ensuring that the lift and volume restoration are perfectly synchronized.

Who Is a Good Candidate?

Patients who benefit most from combining a facelift with fat grafting often share one or more of the following characteristics:

• Noticeable sagging along the jawline, cheeks, or neck

• Hollow temples or cheeks

• Flattening of facial contours due to fat loss

• Thin or aging skin that needs rejuvenation

• Desire for natural, not “over-pulled,” results

If you’ve ever looked in the mirror and thought, “I look tired, but not exactly wrinkled,” — you may be an ideal candidate.

Recovery and Longevity

Because both procedures are performed in the same session, recovery overlaps.
Most patients return to social activities in 10–14 days, depending on swelling and bruising.

Mild swelling from fat grafting usually subsides within a few weeks, and the final volume settles by around 3 months. The fat that successfully establishes blood supply becomes permanent living tissue.

Results from the combined surgery typically last 8–12 years, with graceful aging thereafter.

Common Concerns About Fat Grafting

“What if the fat doesn’t survive?”
With advanced purification and micro-injection techniques, survival rates are now high — often 60–80% of the transferred fat remains long term.

“Will my face look puffy or uneven?”
When performed by an experienced surgeon, the results are subtle and proportional. At Seoyon, Dr. Choi uses layered micrografting, which allows precise control over contour and symmetry.

“Can I repeat fat grafting later?”
Yes. If desired, additional touch-up grafting can be done after 6–12 months for refinement.

Why the Surgeon’s Skill Matters Most

It’s worth emphasizing that the facelift–fat graft combination is not just two procedures done together — it’s one integrated art form.

The lift defines the shape; the fat defines the softness. To merge them successfully, the surgeon must have deep understanding of facial anatomy, vascularity, and aesthetic proportion.

At Gangnam Seoyon Plastic Surgery, Dr. Dong-il Choi performs every stage himself — from design to fat handling to injection — ensuring total control and consistent outcomes. His philosophy is simple:

“A beautiful result is not just about pulling tighter, but restoring what time has taken away — with precision and care.”

The Seoyon Approach: Natural, Balanced, and Safe

• One-Doctor System: No ghost surgery. Every operation is led by Dr. Choi.

• Early Revision Support: If refinement is needed, patients can receive early evaluation and safe adjustments.

• Holistic Care: Our in-house anesthesiologist and family medicine specialist ensure patient safety from start to finish.

• Customized Fat Techniques: From gentle harvest to fine-layer injection, each step is optimized for natural integration.

Our goal isn’t to make you look “different” — it’s to help you look like yourself, at your best, with results that age gracefully over time.

When to Consider a Consultation

If you’re exploring facial rejuvenation and want results that feel soft, natural, and enduring, consider discussing a combined facelift and fat grafting plan.

Even if you’ve had previous surgery or filler treatments, a detailed consultation can help determine what approach suits your current facial structure.

You deserve a treatment plan that values artistry, safety, and individuality — not just surface change.

Take the Next Step

If you’re unsure whether combining fat grafting with a facelift is right for you, schedule a personalized consultation at a clinic known for surgical integrity and natural outcomes.

At Gangnam Seoyon Plastic Surgery, we believe that aging beautifully isn’t about reversing time — it’s about restoring confidence, balance, and authenticity.