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What are the risks of autologous fat transfer?

Published Sep 18, 2026Updated Sep 19, 2026Last verified Sep 18, 2026Requests recorded in this site’s own server logs, with the crawler identity checked by reverse DNS or IP range.Google5Yandex1First collected Sep 18, 2026Recent requestsGoogleSep 20, 2026GoogleSep 19, 2026GoogleSep 19, 2026GoogleSep 19, 2026GoogleSep 18, 2026YandexSep 18, 2026
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Quick answer

A 2025 meta-analysis of 6,268 patients found an overall complication rate of 4.2%. It reported infection in 1.0% of patients, fat necrosis in 0.7%, induration or calcification in 0.6%, oil cysts in 0.1% and haematoma in 0.06%. Volume loss is the most common problem. Fat embolism is the most serious, particularly with gluteal injections: a 2017 task-force survey reported 32 deaths among 198,857 gluteal fat grafting cases.

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Answer

Complication rates in the meta-analysis differed by site: 7.5% for the breast, 4.0% for the face and 4.8% for the buttocks. The studies it pooled were mostly retrospective and used varied techniques.

Sources

  1. governmentNCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms: autologous — National Cancer Institute (NCI) · accessed Sep 20, 2026 · Evidence page
  2. journalAutologous Fat Grafting in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: An Historical Perspective (Costanzo D, Romeo A, Marena F; Eplasty 22:e4) — Eplasty / PubMed Central · accessed Sep 20, 2026 · Evidence page
  3. academicThe fate of adipocytes after nonvascularized fat grafting: evidence of early death and replacement of adipocytes (Eto H et al.; Plast Reconstr Surg 129(5):1081-1092) — Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (Teikyo University research portal) · accessed Sep 20, 2026 · Evidence page
  4. journalApplication of adipose-derived stromal cells in fat grafting: Basic science and literature review (Moustaki M et al.; Exp Ther Med 14(3):2415-2423) — Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine / PubMed Central · accessed Sep 20, 2026 · Evidence page
  5. journalFat Ful'fill'ment: A Review of Autologous Fat Grafting (Marwah M et al.; J Cutan Aesthet Surg 6(3):132-138) — Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery / PubMed Central · accessed Sep 20, 2026 · Evidence page
  6. journalA Systematic Review of the Literature and Meta-Analysis of Autologous Fat Transfer: Fat Transfer Confers a 4.2% Incidence of Complications (Bechar et al.) — Cureus / PubMed Central · accessed Sep 20, 2026 · Evidence page
  7. journalImpact of donor site on fat graft survival in autologous fat transfer to the breast: A systematic review (Goeree et al.) — JPRAS Open / PubMed Central · accessed Sep 20, 2026 · Evidence page
  8. organizationReport on Mortality from Gluteal Fat Grafting: Recommendations from the ASERF Task Force (Mofid MM et al.; Aesthet Surg J 37(7)) — Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation · accessed Sep 20, 2026 · Evidence page
  9. governmentSame Surgical Procedure Exception under 21 CFR 1271.15(b): Questions and Answers Regarding the Scope of the Exception — US Food and Drug Administration (CBER) · accessed Sep 19, 2026 · Evidence page
  10. journalIntraoperative Strategies for Minimal Manipulation of Autologous Adipose Tissue for Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapies: Concise Review (Trivisonno A et al.) — Stem Cells Translational Medicine / PubMed Central · accessed Sep 20, 2026 · Evidence page