The Fat Compartments of the Face: Anatomy and Clinical Implications for Cosmetic Surgery

The subcutaneous fat of the face is partitioned into discrete anatomic compartments. Facial aging is, in part, characterized by how these compartments change with age. The concept of separate compartments of fat suggests that the face does not age as a confluent or composite mass. Shearing between adjacent compartments may be an additional factor in the etiology of soft-tissue malposition. Knowledge of this anatomy will lead to better understanding and greater precision in the preoperative analysis and surgical treatment of the aging face.