Which is Better, Fat Transfer or a Body Filler?
We get this question all the time: Should I choose liposuction with fat grafting or go with an injectable body filler like alloClae, Renuva, or Leneva ? Whether you’re enhancing your buttocks, hips, labia, or other body contours, choosing between a fat transfer and a non-surgical body filler depends on a few key factors: your body type, goals, recovery timeline, and budget.
In this blog, we’ll break down the pros and cons of fat grafting vs. injectable body fillers to help you decide which option is right for you.
Your Body: Is There Enough Fat for Liposuction and Fat Transfer?
Do you have enough fat for a fat transfer? That’s the first thing your surgeon will evaluate. To be a good candidate for liposuction and fat grafting, you must have enough natural fat available to harvest—typically from areas like the abdomen, flanks, thighs, or back. In some cases, fat can also be taken from under the arms or along the bra roll.
Once collected, the fat is processed and carefully injected into your desired area. Each fat transfer site has different approximate volume requirements:
- Buttocks (BBL): 200–1500cc per side
- Hip Dips: 15–150cc per side
- Labia Majora Augmentation: 3–20cc per side
- Breasts: 300cc+ per breast per session (usually done over 2–3 sessions)
- Face: 2–10cc per area per side
It’s also important to know that about 40–50% of your own injected fat is reabsorbed by the body over time. For this reason, surgeons usually overfill slightly to achieve the desired long-term result. If you have very little fat, you may not be a good candidate for fat grafting alone and might want to consider alternatives like injectable body fillers like alloClae, Renuva, or Leneva.
How Much Volume Do You Need? Fat Transfer vs. alloClae, Renuva, and Leneva.
For large-volume enhancements (typically 100 cc or more per side), such as buttock augmentation (BBL) or breast fat transfer, using your own fat is often the most cost-effective and efficient option—if you have enough fat to harvest. Here’s why:
- Fat is “free” – it comes from your own body (autologous fat), so there’s no per-cc material cost
- Liposuction offers added body contouring benefits
- Hundreds of cc’s can be injected in a single procedure, depending on your goals and anatomy
By comparison, off-the-shelf injectable fillers—also called fat matrix fillers—are usually priced per syringe or per cc. They can be an excellent choice for patients with limited donor fat or for small-volume corrections in areas like the labia majora, hip dips, or post-liposuction contour irregularities.
Popular Injectable Fat-Replacement Fillers
alloClae
alloClae is a next-generation fat filler designed for non-surgical volume restoration. We are one of the few selected clinics in Florida offering early access to alloClae ahead of its full commercial launch.
- Priced ~80% less than existing fat-regenerative fillers.
- Designed for use in areas like the labia, hip dips, and facial volume loss.
- Allows patients with low body fat to still achieve subtle, natural-looking contour.
- Immediate volume and correction.
Renuva and Leneva
These injectable fat matrix fillers stimulate your body’s natural fat regeneration over time.
- Ideal for small to moderate volume correction.
- Commonly used in the face, hip dips, labia, and areas with volume loss from aging or liposuction.
- Often requires multiple sessions to reach larger volume goals or sculpted results.
- Immediate volume but decreases over time before slowing increasing, with final results appearing in ~12–24 weeks.
Your Timeline: Does the Patient Want Surgery or Not?
This is a big one.
- Fat grafting requires surgery. While it’s a smaller surgery, it’s still surgery. Patients generally require anesthesia and have a post-operative recovery period from both the liposuction and the transfer, including post-operative lymphatic massage.
- Filler treatments are in-office procedures. No surgery, minimal downtime, and walk-in/walk-out convenience.
If patients are not ready (or willing) to undergo surgery – but still want cosmetic enhancement – and they are okay with:
- A higher per-cc cost.
- Possibly needing staged sessions … then injectable body filler may be the better path.
How Important Is Cost?
For a smaller augmentation, body filler can be a great solution. For larger volumes, fat is generally the more economical route – assuming the patient is a surgical candidate and has sufficient donor fat available.
To give a sense of the difference:
- Fat grafting typically includes hundreds of cc’s for a flat surgical fee of $8,000-$12,000.
- Injectable body filler costs can add up quickly when you start exceeding 100cc (e.g., Leneva is over $100,000 for 100 cc vs alloClae less than $20,000 for the same amount)
So, What are the Pros and Cons of Each Approach?
Here’s a quick summary:
Final Thoughts
Every patient’s body and goals are unique. That’s why we start every journey with a personalized consultation – to evaluate your anatomy, discuss your vision, and tailor the best plan for your body and lifestyle. Book your consultation today!
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