Background: Aesthetic facial contouring procedures, particularly forehead augmentation, continue to increase in popularity in the Asian population. However, there are very few reports in the literature specifically examining the long-term outcomes of forehead fat grafting. In the present study, the authors aimed to objectively evaluate the efficacy of autologous forehead fat grafting through evaluation of facial proportions and patient-reported outcomes.
Methods: Patients who underwent autologous fat grafting for forehead contouring procedures between July of 2011 and June of 2017 were recruited for participation in the study. Patient demographic and clinical variables were collected preoperatively and postoperatively. Facial proportion analysis was collected and compared from preoperative and postoperative photographs. Satisfaction with outcome was assessed by the patient, the surgeon, and a layperson postoperatively. A related-samples Wilcoxon signed rank test was used for statistical analysis.
Results: Postoperative outcomes were evaluated in a total of 24 patients who underwent forehead autologous fat-grafting procedures. The average postoperative follow-up was 8.1 months. There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications. More than 50 percent of the postoperative results were evaluated as "satisfactory" by all three groups (i.e., patient, surgeon, and layperson) in terms of aesthetic contouring. Average forehead projection increased 0.24 U (ratio of horizontal distance from midforehead plane to cornea plane/cornea diameter) after one round of fat grafting (p = 0.01). Seven patients (29.2 percent) required more than a single round of fat grafting to achieve optimal results.
Conclusions: Autologous fat grafting remains a viable option for forehead contouring and augmentation. The findings of this study demonstrate that the operation is effective and offers stable satisfactory results after long-term follow-up.
Clinical question/level of evidence: Therapeutic, IV.