What does it treat?
Localized hollows, dents, or volume differences.
The plan depends on the location, skin quality, scar tissue, and the amount of healthy tissue available to receive fat.
Fat Transfer & Grafting
Body Contour Defect Fat Grafting
Body contour defect fat grafting transfers your own fat to fill localized depressions and improve uneven contours in selected body areas.
Where does the fat come from?
Another area of your own body.
Fat is usually collected with liposuction from an area such as the abdomen or thighs, then prepared for injection.
Will one treatment be enough?
Sometimes, but additional grafting may be needed.
Not all transferred fat survives. Larger or scarred defects may need staged treatment rather than one large transfer.
01 · Overview
Restoring volume where a contour dips
Body contour defect fat grafting uses your own fat to replace missing volume in a specific hollow or depression. The surgeon removes fat from a donor area, prepares it, and places small amounts into the tissue that needs correction. [1]
A contour defect may follow an injury, surgery, liposuction, or a change in body tissue. Examination helps distinguish missing fat from skin looseness, scar tethering, muscle changes, or an underlying medical condition. Fat alone may not address every cause.
This is targeted contour repair, not weight-loss treatment or a general body lift. It also differs from large-volume buttock augmentation. If the buttock is involved, specific injection-safety considerations must be discussed even when the goal is a small correction. [3]
- Procedure type
- Your own fat is collected and injected
- Treatment areas
- A donor site and a contour-defect site
- Anesthesia
- Depends on location and treatment extent
- Treatment course
- One session or staged procedures
Why does some transferred fat disappear?
Transferred fat needs a new blood supply to survive. Some cells do not survive and are absorbed by the body. Your surgeon will assess the settled result before recommending more treatment.
Can fat correct a scar that pulls inward?
It may help replace volume around a depressed scar, but a tight scar may also need release or revision. The surgeon must assess the scar and underlying tissues before deciding whether grafting alone is reasonable.
02 · Concerns & Goals
What you may want to address
A hollow or uneven area can affect how your body looks in clothing or how comfortable you feel with its shape. Your surgeon can help identify what is causing the change.
A localized hollow
A small area may look sunken compared with the tissue around it. The depth and underlying cause help determine whether adding fat could help.
Unevenness after a procedure
Dents or irregularities after liposuction or other surgery may involve both volume loss and scar tissue. Correction can be more complex than simply filling the dip.
A depressed injury scar
An injury can leave missing soft tissue or a scar attached to deeper structures. Treatment may need to address both.
A difference between sides
Targeted volume replacement may improve balance, although natural differences and limits in the surrounding tissue can remain.
03 · Options
How the approaches differ
These are possible approaches to discuss, not interchangeable treatments. Your surgeon will recommend a plan based on the defect, donor fat, and tissue health.
Focused fat grafting
Adds volume to a localized depression.
How it worksFat is collected with liposuction, prepared, and injected in small amounts into the selected area.
May suitSome stable defects where missing soft-tissue volume is the main concern.
Main tradeoffFat retention varies, and the donor area also needs time to heal.
Staged fat grafting
Builds correction over separate procedures.
How it worksThe surgeon places fat, allows healing, and reassesses before considering another session.
May suitSome larger defects or tissues that cannot safely accommodate the intended volume in one session.
Main tradeoffRequires more treatment time, recovery periods, and potentially additional expense.
Scar release with fat grafting
Addresses tethering as well as missing volume.
How it worksThe surgeon releases selected scar attachments and places fat where appropriate.
May suitSome depressed scars that are pulled down by underlying scar tissue.
Main tradeoffAdds tissue trauma and may not fully prevent recurrent tethering or unevenness.
Contour revision with fat grafting
Combines filling a dip with reshaping nearby tissue.
How it worksLimited liposuction or another revision procedure may be paired with fat placement.
May suitSome defects involving both adjacent fullness and a hollow.
Main tradeoffA broader procedure can add swelling, scars, and risks of new contour irregularities.
The amount that can be transferred safely depends on the recipient tissue, not just the amount of donor fat available. Procedures involving the buttock require a separate discussion of fat-embolism risk and safety measures. [1] [3].
Does the donor area get a full liposuction treatment?
Not necessarily. Collecting enough fat for a small defect is different from performing liposuction for broad reshaping. Ask what change, if any, is planned for the donor area.
What if I have very little donor fat?
Limited donor fat can restrict the plan. Your surgeon may recommend a smaller correction, another reconstructive approach, or no procedure.
04 · Results
What may improve and what may remain
Improvement rather than perfect symmetry
The goal is a smoother transition around the defect.
- Small differences, scar texture, or visible edges may remain.
- The achievable change depends on skin quality, blood supply, and the depth of the defect.
A result that settles gradually
Early fullness is not the final retained volume.
- Swelling and gradual absorption of some fat change the appearance over time.
- Assessment commonly takes several months; your surgeon will explain when revision decisions are reasonable.
Lasting fat can still change
Surviving fat may provide long-term volume, but body changes continue.
- Weight changes can affect the size of transferred fat cells.
- Aging, further surgery, or changes in the underlying condition may alter the contour.
Fat survival is variable. A single session cannot guarantee a specific amount of correction or eliminate the possibility of further treatment. [1]
05 · Recovery
Planning your recovery
Recovery at a glance
- Stay after surgery
- Determined by Your Surgeon
- Initial recovery at home
- Varies by Individual
- Return to desk work
- Varies by Procedure and Work Activity
- Light daily activities
- Based on Individual Recovery
- Strenuous exercise
- Based on Surgeon Clearance
Returning to work does not mean fully healed. Follow your surgeon’s instructions; strenuous activity requires clearance.
Recovery involves both the donor and grafted areas. The size and location of treatment, any scar work, and your usual activities determine your individual restrictions.
Step 1 · Day of surgery
Treatment day
The team monitors you after the procedure and explains wound care, positioning, medicines, and follow-up. Arrange transportation and any help required after anesthesia or sedation.
Step 2 · First several days
Early healing
Soreness, swelling, bruising, and temporary unevenness can occur at both sites. Follow your team's specific guidance about pressure, dressings, and movement.
Step 3 · Following weeks
Gradual return to routine
Activity increases as healing allows. Some people with limited treatment return to desk work within days to two weeks, while broader procedures or physical jobs may require longer. Returning to work does not mean healing is complete.
Step 4 · Following months
Settling and reassessment
Swelling continues to fade and retained volume becomes clearer. Follow-up visits help assess contour, lumps, and whether another treatment should be considered.
Planning everyday activities
ActivityGeneral planning contextWhat affects the plan
Desk workPlanning context: Depends on discomfort, fatigue, and treatment location.What affects it: Sitting or clothing pressure may matter if it bears directly on the grafted area.
Exercise and liftingPlanning context: Resume in stages when cleared by your surgeon. [2]What affects it: Strenuous movement can increase swelling and strain healing sites.
DrivingPlanning context: Wait until medicines and movement no longer impair safe driving.What affects it: You must be able to brake, turn, and wear a seat belt comfortably and safely.
Sitting, sleeping, and fitted clothingPlanning context: Restrictions depend on where fat was placed.What affects it: Pressure guidance for the recipient site may differ from compression guidance for the donor site.
Follow your surgical team's instructions rather than a general timetable. Ask before applying compression or massage to a grafted area.
Before your procedure
- Discuss the cause of the defect and bring records of previous procedures when available.
- Review medical conditions, prior healing problems, and anesthesia history.
- Provide a complete list of medicines and supplements; do not stop prescriptions without guidance.
- Discuss nicotine use and the team's requirements for stopping before and after surgery.
- Arrange transportation, home support, and time away from work based on the planned scope.
- Confirm donor and recipient sites, follow-up arrangements, and whom to contact after hours.
Will I need a compression garment?
Possibly for the donor site, but this is not the same as compressing the grafted area. Ask your team exactly where a garment should apply pressure and how long to wear it.
Should I massage a firm area?
Do not start massage unless your surgeon recommends it. Firmness may reflect swelling, scar tissue, or fat necrosis, and a new or persistent lump should be assessed.
06 · Safety
Risks and what your clinician assesses
Temporary soreness, bruising, swelling, numbness, and early contour unevenness can occur. Symptoms should generally improve; worsening pain, spreading redness, or sudden swelling should not be dismissed as routine healing.
Incomplete or uneven correction
Some fat may be absorbed, leaving persistent hollows, asymmetry, or overfilled areas. Further treatment may be considered.
Fat necrosis and lumps
Fat that does not survive can form firm areas, oil cysts, or calcifications. Some require imaging, drainage, or removal.
Infection, bleeding, or fluid collection
Either site can develop infection, a blood collection, or excess fluid, sometimes requiring additional treatment.
Skin, nerve, and donor-site changes
Scars, altered sensation, discoloration, delayed wound healing, or contour dents may occur where fat is removed or placed.
Fat embolism or deeper injury
Fat entering a blood vessel can cause a life-threatening blockage. Risk depends on anatomy and technique; buttock treatment requires particular safeguards.
Anesthesia and blood-clot complications
Anesthesia reactions and blood clots in the legs or lungs are possible. Your health and the extent of surgery influence risk.
Discuss these risks and your individual health history with your surgeon. [1]
What your clinician assesses
- The cause, stability, location, and depth of the contour defect.
- Skin quality, scar tethering, blood supply, and prior surgery or radiation.
- Available donor fat, weight stability, and realistic treatment goals.
- Medical conditions, medicines, nicotine use, and anesthesia or clotting risks.
07 · Costs
What makes up the Total Procedure & Care Cost
Compare written estimates for the same planned scope: donor areas, defect size, scar release or revision, anesthesia, and whether treatment is staged.
Surgeon
Surgical care
The surgeon's work to collect, prepare, and place fat, plus any planned scar or contour revision.
Ask your surgeonAsk whether the estimate is for one session and how additional grafting or revision would be charged.
Facility
Anesthesia and facility
Anesthesia services and use of the operating or procedure facility.
Ask your surgeonAsk which fees are separate and whether the estimate reflects the expected procedure length.
Supplies
Supplies and follow-up
Possible garments, dressings, medicines, and postoperative visits.
Ask your surgeonAsk what is included and how unexpected visits, imaging, or treatment of complications are handled.
TRC
Patient Services
Any separately listed care-coordination or administrative services.
Ask TRCAsk whether a fee applies, what it covers, and whether the service is optional.
Your written estimate should explain the services included, any separate charges, and payment terms.
08 · Questions
Common questions
Is this the same as a Brazilian butt lift?
No. This procedure targets a localized contour defect rather than general buttock enlargement. If the defect is in the buttock, however, the same region-specific safety concerns about fat placement still need careful discussion.
Can it repair a dent after liposuction?
It may help selected dents, but the surgeon must assess scar tethering, surrounding fullness, and skin quality. Some irregularities need a combined approach, and complete smoothing may not be achievable.
Will insurance cover it?
Coverage depends on the reason for treatment and your plan's requirements. A reconstructive purpose does not automatically mean coverage. Ask about documentation, prior authorization, and your expected responsibility.
Can I use someone else's fat?
Standard autologous fat grafting uses your own fat. Another person's fat is not a routine substitute when donor fat is limited.
0 consultation questions in your plan
View in My TRC workspaceMy Aesthetic Plan
Prepare for your consultation
Bring these to help your consultation:
- A clear description of the defect, donor site, and proposed treatment scope.
- A personalized recovery plan with follow-up dates and urgent-contact information.
- A written estimate explaining included services and possible additional treatment costs.
View My Aesthetic Plan
Choices stay in this visit until saving to your account completes. Nothing is sent to a clinician.
Sources
- [1]Cleveland Clinic: Fat TransferUse of a patient's own fat, collection and injection steps, variable fat survival, potential repeat treatment, and fat-transfer complications.
- [2]American Society of Plastic Surgeons: LiposuctionDonor-site liposuction recovery, individualized activity guidance, surgical risks, and urgent symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath.
- [3]American Society of Plastic Surgeons: Buttock EnhancementDistinction between buttock augmentation and targeted contour correction, and serious fat-injection risks specific to the buttock.
- [4]American Society of Plastic Surgeons: Scar RevisionScar assessment, surgical scar-revision options, and the limits of improving rather than eliminating scars.
Photographs are illustrative scenes, not patients, staff, facilities or outcomes. This information does not replace a personal assessment by your treating clinician.