Autologous fat transfer, or fat grafting, refers to the removal of one's fat via liposuction and subsequent injection to another location in one's body. The term space lift refers to the concept of restoring one's youthful facial appearance by lifting the facial skin away from the skeleton in an anterior vector to restore the natural three-dimensional characteristics of a face. The concept of injecting fat into a face was probably introduced by Dr. Pierre Fournier, also one of the fathers of liposuction, during the first World Congress of Liposuction in Philadelphia in 1986.

When doctors started using fat transfer by injection, they primarily focused on apparent facial defects such as the nasolabial folds, the nasojugal creases (marionette lines), and other obvious facial depressions. According to a recent survey by the American Society of Plastic Surgery, this is still the primary use of the material for most doctors today (Kaufman et al. 2007). However, a better understanding of the aging process reveals a very widespread loss of facial fat (Berman 1998). Over time, the metabolization of facial fat simply causes a global collapse of the skin. Thus, in various positions, the skin hangs to create the appearance of various unattractive folds associated with aging. In deference to popular thought, I contend that gravity does not cause aging, but only affects how we look in different positions. I certainly agree that we also lose elasticity with age; however, we do not increase the amount of skin on our faces.