Hollow under-eyes and flattened cheeks are often among the first signs of aging, and they can make you look tired no matter how much sleep you get. The boomerang lift takes a fresh approach to addressing these concerns with fat transfer, a regenerative treatment that rebuilds volume in strategic spots where it’s been lost.
“The goal with fat transfer and the boomerang lift is to restore—not overfill—the natural structure of the face,” says Beverly Hills facial plastic surgeon Paul Nassif, MD. Using fat grafting in specific areas, as the boomerang lift does, “can reestablish volume and structure to the face so it appears smoother, healthier and more youthful.”
Here, Dr. Nassif and the technique's creator, New York plastic surgeon Oren Tepper, MD, explain the boomerang lift.
Featured experts
- Paul Nassif, MD is a board-certified facial plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills
- Oren Tepper, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York
What is a boomerang lift?
“The boomerang lift is a form of facial fat grafting designed to restore volume through the lower-eyelid and cheek area,” says Dr. Nassif. “Fat is harvested from another area of the patient’s body, refined and transferred to selected areas of the midface to restore facial structure, creating a curved, boomerang-like shape extending from beneath the lower eyelid outward along the cheekbone.”
Dr. Tepper developed the technique based on research “using 3D imaging to understand exactly how adding volume to different deep facial fat compartments changes the surface of the face. When we treat three specific compartments of the cheek, the resulting area of augmentation consistently is in the shape of a boomerang—hence the name.”
The benefits of a boomerang lift
“When a patient’s own fat and stem cells are placed in the appropriate areas, we can restore cheek projection, soften the transition between the lower eyelid and cheek, improve areas of hollowing such as the tear trough and create a subtle lifting effect through the midface,” says Dr. Tepper.
“Additionally, because the injections utilize fat stem cells and associated growth factors, there is a secondary benefit to overall skin quality.” While fat grafting can provide natural-looking, long-lasting volume, Dr. Nassif notes that not all transferred fat survives, and results vary from patient to patient.
The ideal patient for a boomerang lift
While fat grafting in general can be tailored to many different types of patients, “an ideal patient is often someone who has begun to lose youthful volume and support through the cheeks and around the lower eyelids,” says Dr. Tepper. Dr. Nassif agrees, noting that patients should be experiencing volume loss but still have good skin elasticity with minimal sagging of the soft tissues.
“Candidates should be in good overall health, have realistic expectations and have sufficient donor fat,” notes Dr. Nassif. “Careful patient selection and treatment by a surgeon experienced in facial fat grafting are essential.”
