Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Our Services >
  • Plastic Surgery >
  • ... >
  • Services >
  • Regenerative Cell and Tissue Therapies >
  • Fat Grafting Treatments >
  • Neck, Upper Chest, Jaw, and Chin
Plastic Surgery
About Us
Services
Plastic Surgery Center
Gender Affirming Surgery
Hand Surgery Program
Hidradenitis Suppurativa Surgery Program
Life After Weight Loss Program
Nerve Disorder Center
Plastic Surgery After Cancer
Reconstructive Plastic Surgery
Regenerative Cell and Tissue Therapies
Making an Appointment
Preparing for Your Visit
Residency and Fellowships
Research & Clinical Trials
Our Experts
Patient Stories
Our Locations
Contact Us
Plastic Surgery
About Us
Services
Plastic Surgery Center
Gender Affirming Surgery
Hand Surgery Program
Hidradenitis Suppurativa Surgery Program
Life After Weight Loss Program
Nerve Disorder Center
Plastic Surgery After Cancer
Reconstructive Plastic Surgery
Regenerative Cell and Tissue Therapies
Making an Appointment
Preparing for Your Visit
Residency and Fellowships
Research & Clinical Trials
Our Experts
Patient Stories
Our Locations
Contact Us

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

Structural Fat Grafting for Neck, Upper Chest, Jaw, and Chin

Structural fat grafting takes fat from one or more areas of your body and places it elsewhere. The procedure can be used for cosmetic or reconstructive reasons.

Your neck, upper chest, jaw line, and chin usually are among the first places on your body to show aging and/or sun damage. You may experience wrinkles, loose skin, redness, or dark spots on your neck and upper chest. You also may lose definition on your chin or jaw line.

With structural fat grafting, you can:

  • Restore support around your neck, chin, and jaw line
  • Improve skin pigmentation
  • Reduce wrinkles and loose skin
  • Add sharpness or definition to your chin and jaw line

Is Structural Fat Grafting Right for Me?

Structural fat grafting can help provide cosmetic improvements or reconstruction, with minimal risk. You might be a candidate for the procedure if you’d like to improve the look of your chin, jaw, neck, or upper chest.

What Are the Risks of Fat Grafting?

Structural fat grafting has fewer risks than implants or other procedures, and complications are rare. However, there can be side effects:

  • Bleeding
  • Infections
  • Scarring
  • Skin irregularities
  • Placing too much or too little fat
  • Swelling
  • Bruising

Your surgical team will work to reduce those risks during the procedure.

Before the Procedure

Before undergoing structural fat grafting, you’ll meet with our staff. A staff member will review the procedure and your medical history with you, and you can see photos of similar past procedures.

You also should bring photos of yourself from when you were younger. Our surgical team will review the photos to get an idea of the look you hope to restore. You also can bring photos of others if you want your chin or jaw line to look like theirs.

We also will take several photos of how you look now. Your surgeon will use those photos to create a plan for the procedure, including harvest and graft sites.

Structural Fat Grafting Procedure Details

The surgical team first will mark your skin with colored pens in the donor and graft sites. The number of donor sites will depend on the amount of fat needed for transfer.

The surgeon uses liposuction to harvest the fat. The surgical team will put the fat through a centrifuge, purifying it by removing substances like oil, water, and blood.

After the blood is refined, the surgeon will place it in the new location, with tiny amounts at a time. Doing so allows your surgeon to sculpt as the procedure goes, allowing for a better result.

How Long Does the Procedure Take?

The time of the procedure depends on how much fat is being transferred. It can last anywhere from two hours for minor procedures, to five hours for more extensive work.

Type of Anesthesia for Fat Grafting

Doctors usually use general anesthesia for structural fat grafting, but more minor procedures can take place with local anesthesia.

Recovery from Structural Fat Grafting

Recovery time depends on the extent of the procedure. That includes how much fat is transferred and how many donor sites were used.

You probably will experience swelling and bruising in both the harvest and graft sites. The swelling and bruising usually subsides in the graft locations more quickly, generally within two to three weeks. It can take longer for the swelling to completely go away.

Recovery can take longer in the donor sites, with swelling taking anywhere from three to six months to completely subside.

What Results Can I Expect from Structural Fat Grafting?

There is no current study on the success of fat transfer in humans, and fat is a volatile tissue. However, structural fat grafting has shown positive results. The use of your own fat lowers risks such as infection and scarring, and it can be sculpted to your ideal look.

Placing fat under the skin of your neck and upper chest can add support to those areas, reducing wrinkles, loose skin, and sun damage. It can give you a sharper, more defined, or more prominent chin and jaw line. It can also reduce some of the effects of aging.

UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login