RIGHT NOW, there is something that aesthetic dermatologists consider more valuable than any synthetic compound you could inject into your face—more valuable, in fact, than gold. Yes, dermal fillers like the ones crafted from hyaluronic acid (brand names: Juvederm and Restylane) still remain effective in helping to restructure and add volume to areas of the face that are sagging. But using your own fat to achieve the same effect offers benefits beyond merely replacing what time has taken.
In fact, it’s become almost routine in many plastic surgeons offices to liposuction fat from one area of the body and transfer it directly to the face. However, some patients aren’t using that adipose tissue immediately, opting to “bank” it, creating the equivalent of a fat savings account. This is known as “fat banking” and it's been making waves on social media as patients’ fat deposits are rapidly dwindling thanks to GLP-1 use.
It’s transformed what was once considered something to shed at any cost into an aesthetic hot commodity. Meet the experts: Krishna Vyas, MD, is a board-certified plastic surgeon at Blechman Plastic Surgery in New York City. Lyle Leipziger, MD, is the chief of plastic surgery at North Shore University Hospital and LIJ Medical Center.
Anthony Berlet, MD, is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York. Ahead, we spoke with several plastic surgeons about how fat banking is transforming facial aesthetics—and what to consider if you’re thinking about it. It’s typically sucked out of either the abdomen, hips, thighs, flanks, back, or arms, and is “processed to separate it from blood and fluid, placed into sterile containers, and frozen at very cold temperatures,” he adds.
The fat is sent to a cryopreservation facility where it's stored in liquid nitrogen until you’re ready to use it, the fat is thawed and injected where you need it. Fat banking is not a standalone surgery. Instead, it’s typically performed during a procedure that already involves liposuction, such as body contouring, a tummy tuck, or Brazilian butt lift (BBL).
Rather than discard the extra fat that was removed, your surgeon will process and freeze it for future use. None of this to say that doctors haven’t been using patients’ fat for other purposes before today. Fat grafting or transfer has been routinely used for decades in facial rejuvenation, breast reconstruction, correction of contour deformities, and body enhancement.
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