Efficacy and safety of autologous fat grafting for nasolabial fold depressions
Keywords:
adipose tissue; autologous; nasolabial fold; transplantationAbstract
Introduction: Nasolabial fold depression is a hallmark of midface aging; autologous fat grafting is a volumizing option, yet more evidence on efficacy and safety is needed.
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of autologous fat grafting for the treatment of nasolabial fold depression.
Methods: A prospective single-center clinical practice case series was conducted in 68 consecutive patients with nasolabial fold depression treated with autologous fat grafting. Patients were enrolled from 01/2023 to 06/2025 and followed at T0 (baseline), T1 (1 month), T3 (3 months), and T6 (6 months).
Results: Mean age was 39.1±6.9 years; 89.7% were women. WSRS improved significantly: the mean bilateral score decreased from 3.33 (T0) to 2.23 (T6) (p < 0.001). At T6, GAIS rated much/very much improved in 70.6%, and satisfaction scores of 4–5 were reported by 77.9%. Early events mainly included swelling/edema, bruising, pain. Late complications at T6 included nodules/induration or contour irregularities in 7.4%, asymmetry in 5.9%; oil cyst/fat necrosis persisted in 1.5% at T6. Additional interventions were required in 14.7% at T6.
Conclusions: Autologous fat grafting provided clinically meaningful improvement in nasolabial fold depression with high patient satisfaction. Adverse events were mostly mild, and late complications were uncommon; however, the need for secondary interventions increased over time.
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