Fat transfer to the hands is one of the most effective procedures available for restoring youthfulness to aging hands. The hands — especially the dorsum (top side) — experience progressive volume loss with age, and the resulting loss of fat and connective tissue, combined with skin laxity, produces an aged appearance that cannot be hidden by makeup, jewelry, or clothing. Fat transfer addresses this directly: fat is harvested from another area of the body, purified, and grafted into the hands to restore lost volume and soften the visible outline of bones, tendons, and veins. Because the patient’s own fat is used, results are natural and long-lasting — and because most patients undergoing this procedure are also candidates for liposuction of other body areas, fat transfer to the hands is frequently combined with body contouring procedures using fat harvested from the abdomen, flanks, back, thighs, pubis, or calves. At Los Angeles Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills, Dr. John Anastasatos performs fat transfer to the hands with the depth of training this anatomically delicate procedure specifically rewards.

Dr. Anastasatos performs fat transfer to the hands with the most directly relevant academic credential possible: he completed a fellowship in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery and Microsurgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham — formal subspecialty training in hand surgery that few cosmetic plastic surgeons possess. Dr. Anastasatos has also published peer-reviewed academic work on Cell-Assisted Lipotransfer (CAL) — directly relevant to the science of fat grafting and fat survival, the foundational technique behind fat transfer to the hands. With over two decades of facial and hand surgical expertise in Beverly Hills since 2007, he is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS), a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), and named by The Luxe Insider as one of the Top 10 Plastic Surgeons in the World.

How Fat Transfer to the Hands Works

Fat transfer to the hands can be performed as an isolated procedure or — more commonly — in combination with liposuction and fat transfer to other body areas. Most patients undergoing fat transfer also have liposuction performed on multiple body areas including the abdomen, flanks, back, thighs, pubis, and calves. The harvested fat is purified and then grafted into areas of interest. Typical fat transfer destinations include the buttocks, hips, hands, face, vaginal areas, and breasts.

The procedure is performed through minimal 1-2 mm incisions that heal so well that visible scarring is typically not detectable. Dr. Anastasatos’s specific technique includes three carefully sequenced grafting passes:

• First pass — between metacarpal bones: small fat injections placed between the metacarpal bones to restore deep volume
• Second pass — directly under the skin and over the veins: strategic fat placement to cover prominent dorsal veins so they no longer read as visible. This pass requires great care to avoid penetrating any of the dorsal veins, because penetration could cause fat emboli with serious systemic complications.
• Third pass — over the knuckles: targeted grafting to soften the wrinkly appearance over the knuckles for a smoother, more youthful contour

Why Fat Transfer Requires Multiple Sessions Sometimes

Fat transfer to the hands may require more than one session to achieve the optimal aesthetic result. Two factors drive this:

• Safety limits on volume per session: there is a maximum amount of fat that can be safely transferred to the hands at one time
• Natural fat resorption: transferred fat shrinks or partially resorbs over time — a normal phenomenon that occurs with all fat transfer procedures anywhere on the body. Approximately 60% of the originally grafted fat volume remains present at 9 months.

For patients seeking maximum correction, planning for the possibility of a second session ensures the final result matches expectations.

Schedule a Fat Transfer Consultation in Beverly Hills

Dr. Anastasatos welcomes patients to the Beverly Hills office at 436 North Bedford Drive, Suite 202, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, for a private consultation evaluating your hand anatomy and discussing fat transfer alone or in combination with body contouring. Contact Los Angeles Plastic Surgery to schedule your appointment.