Steven Mobley, MD, a double board-certified Facial Plastic Surgeon, has served Salt Lake City, Utah, since 2002.
COSMETIC SURGERY
Cosmetic Fat Transfer
in Utah
Cosmetic fat transfer, also called facial fat grafting or fat injection, uses your own fat to restore the volume your face loses with age or after weight loss, including GLP-1 "Ozempic face." It most often fills the sunken hollows under the eyes (the orbital rim or tear trough), the cheeks and the temples. Steven Mobley, MD, a double board-certified Facial Plastic Surgeon in Salt Lake City, Utah, has performed cosmetic fat transfer for over 20 years and has taught his eyelid and fat techniques by invitation at national and international meetings, including the annual meeting of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the international Global Aesthetics Conference in Miami. He filters your fat into a pure, creamy gel and places it precisely where your face needs volume restored. Most patients choose comfortable IV sedation, feel fine within 3–4 days and are back to work and social engagements in about 7–10 days.
WHY DO WE LOOK OLDER?
Look at a photo of yourself from just three years ago. Anyone would know it's you, so why do you look younger then and a bit older now? We age a little every day, too slowly to notice what's changing. Steven Mobley, MD, explains it this way: we age in 3 ways. You already know 2 of them: our tissues sag and our skin collects surface sun damage, which is where eyelid surgery and CO2 laser come in. The 3rd reason we look older is the one you've likely noticed in the mirror, and the one fat transfer is made for: our faces lose volume, or "deflate." In our 20s and 30s, our faces are full and round, like a plump grape. Slowly, over decades, like a grape becoming a raisin, we lose that fullness: the soft oval of youth turns rectangular, the cheeks flatten, the temples hollow, and we simply look a bit more gaunt. And with today's GLP-1 weight-loss medications, many people see this happen in months instead of decades, a hollow, deflated look now so common it has its own name: "Ozempic face." Cosmetic fat transfer uses your body's own tissue to turn the rectangle back into the soft oval of youth, so you look rested and refreshed and never puffy or overdone. For more than two decades, men and women from Provo, American Fork and Ogden to Idaho, Wyoming, Texas, California and the East Coast have trusted this double board-certified Facial Plastic Surgeon in Salt Lake City, Utah, with their cosmetic fat transfer.
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How do I choose the best fat transfer surgeon in Salt Lake City?
Fat transfer might sound simpler than it is. It's not just taking a little fat from here and moving it there. For the result to look natural and last, it all comes down to decades of judgment and precise details, right down to tenths of a cc: how much is injected, how pure the harvested fat is, and exactly where it goes. Before you choose a surgeon for your cosmetic fat transfer, ask yourself these three key questions: 1) Technique, 2) Experience, 3) Leadership in the field.
1. Technique: Will your surgeon transfer pure fat, and place it where it will truly take?
Dr. Mobley has a saying: "Fat harvest matters." Harvest technique is crucial to success, and Steven Mobley, MD, was trained in both common ways to prepare fat. Many surgeons spin fat in a high-speed centrifuge, which separates it by density but often leaves it orange and liquid-y; it's orange because the yellow fat is still diluted with red blood and oil. Dr. Mobley instead harvests your fat with a special two-walled syringe attached to gentle cosmetic liposuction. Its internal mesh filter traps the fat while the blood, oil and even the numbing fluid are drawn away, leaving a dry, smooth, creamy gel of pure, bright yellow fat, ready to transfer. In more than 20 years of fat transfer, Dr. Mobley has come to believe this is a big part of why his fat takes so well.
The technique of where and how the fat is injected matters greatly. For fat to survive, tiny blood vessels must grow into every droplet. That happens best where the face has rich blood flow and less hour-by-hour movement, which is why Dr. Mobley believes the orbital rim, the tear trough hollow along the bone beneath the eye, is where fat does its very best work. The temples are next best. Around the mouth and in the pink of the lips, where we're talking, chewing and smiling every hour of the day, fat takes less reliably, so he uses it there only in selected patients who understand the tradeoffs. He stipples the fat in a tenth of a cc at a time, layer by layer, with an artist's eye and an engineer's precision.
2. Experience: Does your surgeon have the experience and judgment to get it right on the table?
A beautiful result can only come from decades of precise surgical judgment, and some of the most important calls are made on the operating table. Because Dr. Mobley transfers highly purified, bright yellow fat—not fat mixed with blood and oil—what he sees on the table is much closer to what you'll keep, so your final cosmetic result is far more predictable. Once your face looks just right, he adds approximately 10% more, a small, purposeful extra amount for the little bit of fat that never picks up a blood supply. Overfilling a face and hoping the extra fades, at the risk of an unpredictable or inflated look, is a guessing game he does not play. Instead, he relies on decades of judgment to add just the right slight overcorrection. The goal is simple: the raisin back to the grape, the rectangle back to the oval, and the fat that takes is there to stay.
Steven Mobley, MD, has performed cosmetic fat transfer since the early days of modern facial fat grafting. Over his career in Salt Lake City, he has performed thousands of facial surgeries, including hundreds and hundreds of fat transfers. He has also used these techniques to help rebuild the faces of cancer survivors and trauma patients. Fat transfer is one of the fastest-growing parts of his practice, and with 24 years of serving his patients behind him and many more ahead, he operates every week at Millcreek Surgical Suite in Salt Lake City, an AAAASF-accredited surgical suite.
Dr. Mobley is proud to be on staff at St. Mark's Hospital. He has been recognized as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor, readers of The Park Record voted him Park City's Best for 10 years, and he has been featured on Good Morning America, Inside Edition, People and Cosmopolitan. Many Utahns still remember him as the former ABC4 TV health reporter on Good Things Utah.
3. Leadership in the field: Has your surgeon been invited to national meetings to teach other Facial Plastic Surgeons?
Throughout his career, Steven Mobley, MD, has helped shape how other surgeons restore the aging face. Organizers of national and international meetings, including the annual meeting of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the international Global Aesthetics Conference in Miami, have invited him to teach his eyelid and fat grafting techniques more than 5 times. He taught University of Utah surgery residents for 11 years, has delivered an eye-opening 85-plus lectures in all, and has written more than 50 published works, including peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters in the textbooks surgeons train on.
As a full-time faculty member at the University of Utah School of Medicine, he earned tenure as Associate Professor of Surgery and served as Head of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Residency Program Director. He has been invited to lecture at seven academic medical centers in the United States and Germany, including Northwestern University, the University of Arizona and the University of Regensburg.
Dr. Mobley and the Mobley MD practice have given more than $100,000 in charitable surgery and donations, mostly here in Utah: free ear pinning surgery for school-age children (K–12) who are bullied about their ears and whose families could not otherwise afford the operation, Raise the Future's work with Utah foster youth, and Folds of Honor and Tunnel to Towers. As a second-generation surgeon, he was raised to serve his patients and give back to the community they share.
Why patients choose Dr. Mobley for cosmetic fat transfer
Technique, experience, and leadership in the field. When you choose Steven Mobley, MD, for your cosmetic fat transfer in Salt Lake City, Utah, you choose a Facial Plastic Surgeon with over 24 years in practice and more than two decades of fat transfer: one who chose the harvest method that transfers the purest fat, places it where it takes best, adds only about 10% extra, and has been invited to teach his eyelid and fat techniques to fellow surgeons at national and international meetings.
Why do people travel hundreds of miles for Dr. Mobley?
Cosmetic fat transfer patients come to Steven Mobley, MD, in Salt Lake City from Provo, American Fork, Lehi, Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Ogden and Park City, drive in from Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Nevada, and fly in from across the country, from California and Texas to the East Coast. His patients include politicians, sports figures and other nationally known individuals, along with business owners, busy parents and doctors. Our Patient Care Team helps out-of-town patients plan a comfortable, discreet week in Salt Lake City.
RELATED PROCEDURES
Cosmetic fat transfers are frequently added on to other rejuvenation procedures such as:
SHOULD I CONSIDER COSMETIC FAT TRANSFER?
Cosmetic fat transfer with Steven Mobley, MD, may be right for you if your face looks more tired, hollow or older than you feel, especially beneath the eyes, in the cheeks or at the temples. For many men and women, the hollow along the bone beneath the eye begins in their 40s, by no fault of their own. Some patients want a natural, longer-lasting alternative to repeat fillers; others notice their face looks deflated after significant weight loss, including weight loss with GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound. Only a small amount of fat is needed, so this isn't a weight-loss procedure, but you do need a little to spare; for very lean patients, Dr. Mobley may suggest another option. Because fat transfer is elective, your safety comes first: if you take blood thinners, or have significant heart disease or high blood pressure that isn't well controlled, please mention it when you first call so we can talk it through before your consultation.
COMMON REASONS FOR COSMETIC FAT TRANSFER:
- Sunken, dark hollows under the eyes (the tear trough)
- A tired look under the lower eyelids that sleep and concealer can't fix
- Flat or deflated cheeks
- Hollow temples that make the face look more rectangular
- A gaunt, deflated face after weight loss, including GLP-1 "Ozempic face"
- Deeper lines around the lips (as part of a combined plan)
DR. MOBLEY WILL BUILD A CURATED PLAN FOR YOUR SURGERY
At your consultation in Salt Lake City, Steven Mobley, MD, will take clinical photos and videos to study your face and walk you step by step through what he suggests and why. Together, you'll agree on your expertly curated plan. Fat transfer is often the finishing touch patients don't think to ask for: many pair it with lower eyelid surgery, a facelift or a neck lift, and fat, particularly around the lower eyelids, pairs very well with CO2 laser skin resurfacing, so the skin matches the refreshed shape beneath it. If you're one of the many patients who travel from afar to Salt Lake City for Dr. Mobley, combining procedures means one trip, one recovery and one week away from home. When you get back home, just tell your friends you had a great trip to the mountains, and the fresh mountain air is why you look so refreshed!
HOW DO I GET STARTED?
Every journey has a story, and we want to hear yours. Whether you're a short drive or a flight away, tell us what you see in the mirror, and Dr. Mobley and our Patient Care Team will take it from there. Contact us today to book your cosmetic fat transfer consultation with Steven Mobley, MD.
COSMETIC FAT TRANSFER IN UTAH
Frequently Asked Questions
The cosmetic fat transfer questions men and women ask Steven Mobley, MD, most often in his Salt Lake City, Utah, consultations, answered in plain language.
Steven Mobley, MD, gently harvests a small amount of your own fat through tiny openings, usually from the inner thighs or outer buttocks for women and most often the abdomen or "love handles" for men, using a special two-walled syringe whose fine mesh filter removes the oil, blood and numbing fluid. He then places the pure, gel-like fat a tenth of a cc at a time where your face has lost volume, most often along the orbital rim beneath the eyes, the cheeks and the temples. Fat transfer is performed at Millcreek Surgical Suite in Salt Lake City, most often under comfortable IV sedation.
Cosmetic fat transfer with Steven Mobley, MD, in Salt Lake City, Utah, starts at around $4,500, all-in: Dr. Mobley's fee, the Millcreek Surgical Suite facility fee and your anesthesia. The number of areas treated, anything you add and the length of your surgery (facility and anesthesia fees are time-based) shape your final price, and you'll leave your consultation with a clear, easy-to-read quote. And at Mobley MD you will never hear "decide today and save"; Dr. Mobley believes same-day sales pressure has no place in healthcare.
Mobley MD offers financing through PatientFi, with CareCredit also available, for cosmetic fat transfer with Steven Mobley, MD, and our Salt Lake City team is happy to explain how it works.
Yes. Once transferred fat picks up a new blood supply, it becomes living tissue again, and the fat that takes is there to stay; by about 3 months, you can see your lasting result. In more than two decades of fat transfer, Steven Mobley, MD, has seen very high take around the eyes and nice take in the temples, the areas of the face that move the least.
Yes. "Ozempic face" is the popular name for the gaunt, deflated, older look some people notice after weight loss with GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound. First, congratulations on your weight loss! When the body loses fat, the face loses it too, especially beneath the eyes, in the cheeks and at the temples. Steven Mobley, MD, restores that lost volume with a small amount of your own fat, so you keep the healthy weight loss and get back a fuller, more youthful face. In Dr. Mobley's practice, a gaunt "Ozempic face" is often best restored with a precise combination of your own fat and, sometimes, Sculptra as well. Sculptra is a collagen-stimulating injectable that gradually rebuilds volume, especially in the temples and cheeks, and can be a helpful part of a well-rounded plan for patients who may have little fat left to spare after GLP-1 weight loss. He usually suggests waiting until your weight has been stable for a few months, and if loose skin has also developed, he may suggest pairing fat transfer with a facelift or neck lift.
Not quite. A small amount of fat never picks up a blood supply, so once your face looks just right on the operating table, Steven Mobley, MD, adds approximately 10% more. Fat spun in a centrifuge can stay orange and still carry oil and blood, so less true fat is actually transferred. Some surgeons plan for losing 30–50% of the fat by injecting up to twice what is needed, which makes the final cosmetic result less predictable. Because Dr. Mobley transfers pure, bright yellow fat, about 10% extra is all he needs, and his corrections are quite accurate "on the table."
Most fat transfer patients of Steven Mobley, MD, feel fine within 3–4 days, although some bruising and swelling linger. If you work from home or don't mind looking a little swollen and bruised, you can return as early as day 3; if you'd rather no one notice, plan on about 7–10 days, using light makeup for women and a tinted sunscreen for men. Plan on waiting about 14 days before any strenuous exercise. For the first few days, use cool compresses, not ice-cold ones: cool helps with swelling and bruising, but Dr. Mobley believes ice-cold compresses can harm the delicate transferred fat. Men, take this one seriously: for the first 7–10 days, your new fat is like freshly poured concrete. Overdo it with heavy lifting, a hard workout or "just one round of golf" too soon, and you can undo work that took years of skill to perfect. Protect it while it sets, and it will look its best for years to come.
Less than most patients expect. The face feels swollen and a little tight more than painful, and the harvest area usually feels like a bruise after a hard workout. Steven Mobley, MD, wants every patient comfortable and believes in the responsible use of post-op pain medication, with a 3-layer approach (Tylenol, Celebrex and a prescription pain medicine, each in the right amount), explained in his patient video, Understanding Your Pain Medication.
No. Steven Mobley, MD, will help you choose the option that fits you best:
- Comfortable IV sedation at Millcreek Surgical Suite, which most of his fat transfer patients choose. You breathe on your own, feel no pain and remember little or nothing.
- In-office fat transfer with local numbing and an oral sedative, a budget-friendly choice for patients who want to save on cost or would simply rather not be sedated.
- General anesthesia, used only rarely, usually when fat transfer is combined with other surgery. His anesthesia team most often uses an LMA, a soft suction cup that rests at the back of the tongue; it is gentler than a breathing tube and less likely to leave you with a sore throat.
It can, but it's usually noticeable only on close inspection. Steven Mobley, MD, studies your body carefully and harvests from a spot where a small change is least likely to show, such as high on the inner thigh, near the knees, the outer buttocks, the abdomen or the "love handles." Knowing it's possible ahead of time, most patients find it easy to live with, a small trade-off for a younger-looking face.
Occasionally. Steven Mobley, MD, performs many fat transfers every year, and once in a blue moon the fat simply doesn't take as well as expected; at 3 months or more, the volume just isn't what it should be. These cases are few and far between, and most can be corrected with a small in-office touch-up under local numbing, with or without an oral sedative. There is a touch-up fee, but it is substantially less than the original surgery, usually around half.
Steven Mobley, MD, will review your risks with you in person in Salt Lake City, and in detail through standard surgical consent forms. The ones patients ask about most are temporary swelling and bruising, small lumps that can usually be smoothed in the office, and slightly more or less fullness than planned.
WHAT OUR PATIENTS ARE SAYING
"I came in looking tired with dark circles under my eyes. Dr. Mobley worked on my eyes using fat injections to fill up my under eye space and now I look bright eyes and bushy tailed every morning! Thank you Dr. Mobley and staff"
Audrey Miner
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Mobley MD Facial Plastic Surgery office was built from the ground up and designed specifically for the patient experience. Our patients have exclusive access to Millcreek Surgical Suite, a AAASF nationally certified center that provides an unparalleled experience for discerning cosmetic patients. Located steps away from Utah’s renowned St. Marks Hospital, our office houses our state of the art surgical facility and our boutique medical spa, BeautyNow.
