Fat Grafting Cannulas: Sizes, Types and How to Choose the Right One

Key takeaway: A fat grafting cannula is a blunt-tipped stainless steel tube used to harvest a patient's own fat and re-inject it elsewhere. Harvesting cannulas are usually 2–4 mm wide. Injection cannulas range from about 0.7 mm (22G) for fine facial microfat to 2.4 mm (13G) for body contouring. Choose by four factors: recipient area, fat type, volume per pass, and the syringe connection (hub) your clinic uses.

Fat grafting depends on keeping fragile fat cells alive from harvest to placement. Grafted cells do not survive if they sit more than about 1.5 ± 0.5 mm from host tissue (PMC7212710). The cannula for fat transfer decides how big each fat parcel is and how it is laid down. That is why fat grafting cannulas are thinner, blunter and more specialised than standard liposuction cannulas.

This guide is for UK surgeons, aesthetic clinics and procurement teams. It covers cannula types, sizes, the research on fat survival, and how to build a tray. It is a buying reference, not clinical instruction.

What is a fat grafting cannula?

A fat grafting cannula is a hollow, usually blunt-tipped metal tube that attaches to a syringe to harvest or inject the patient's own fat. The procedure is also called autologous fat transfer, lipofilling or lipo-modelling.

Fat transfer has three stages:

1. Harvest: fat is gently removed, usually from the abdomen or thighs.
2. Processing: the fat is cleaned or concentrated by decanting, centrifuging or filtering.
3. Injection: the fat is placed in many small amounts.

Modern practice builds on the Coleman technique (structural fat grafting), which popularized low-trauma syringe harvesting and injection in small parcels (Coleman, 2006).

How it differs from a liposuction cannula: a liposuction cannula is designed to remove fat efficiently. A fat grafting cannula is designed to preserve it, so it is usually thinner, has smaller holes and a blunt tip, and is used with a syringe rather than a high-powered pump. For liposuction cannula types, see our liposuction cannula buyer's guide. For the procedure itself, read Liposuction and Fat Grafting: A Surgical Overview.

Harvesting vs injection cannulas: what's the difference?

Harvesting cannulas collect fat; injection cannulas place it. Most procedures need both.

Feature	Harvesting cannula	Injection cannula
Typical diameter	2–4 mm	0.7–2.4 mm
Holes / ports	Several side holes; hole size sets parcel size	One or a few smooth side ports
Tip	Blunt	Blunt or spoon; sharp for specific entry needs
Typical syringe	10 cc Luer Lock	1 cc–10 cc Luer Lock; 60 cc for large volumes
Surgical Green range	Aspirators / Fat Harvesters	Fat Grafting Cannulas

Surgeon practice reflects this split. In a 2023 survey of International Society of Plastic and Regenerative Surgeons (ISPRES) members (Vizcay et al., 2023):

●       69.5% preferred a 3–4 mm three-hole cannula for large-volume harvesting.

●       75.8% used 2 mm cannulas for small-volume harvesting.

●       For handheld injection, respondents preferred a 1–2 mm cannula with a 1 cc syringe.

Fat grafting cannula sizes: gauge to mm chart

Size is given as outer diameter in millimeters or as gauge (G). A higher gauge means a thinner cannula. These values match the labels on Surgical Green's injector cannulas.

Gauge	Diameter	Common use (examples)
22G	0.7 mm	Microfat, delicate facial areas
20G	0.9 mm	Fine facial refinement
19G	1.0 mm	Facial grafting in small aliquots
18G	1.2 mm	Face and hands
17G	1.4 mm	Mid-face, hands
16G	1.6 mm	Small-to-moderate volume
15G	1.8 mm	Breast refinement, body contour
14G	2.1 mm	Larger-volume body injection
13G	2.4 mm	Larger-volume body injection

Conversions vary slightly by manufacturer. For example, 14G is listed as 2.0 mm by some suppliers and 2.1 mm by others. Always check the millimetre figure.

Fat injection cannula length depends on how far the cannula must travel from the entry point:

●       4–7 cm: precise control around the eyes and lips.

●       8–12 cm: mid-face, jawline and hands.

●       15–25 cm: breast and body, where fewer entry points cover a wider zone.

Shorter cannulas are stiffer and easier to control. Longer cannulas reach further from one incision.

Which cannula size for which area?

There is no single correct cannula for fat transfer; surgeons choose by anatomy, fat type and technique. The ranges below are examples drawn from published practice and mapped to Surgical Green's stock. Use them to plan a tray, not as a protocol.

Recipient area	Example diameter	Example length	Surgical Green options
Periorbital, tear trough, lips	0.7–0.9 mm (22–20G)	4–6 cm	Micro Hole Injector – Blunt Tip, Blunt Extractor-Injector
Temples, cheeks, jawline	1.0–1.2 mm (19–18G)	6–10 cm	Blunt Tip Injector – Straight
Hands	1.0–1.4 mm (19–17G)	5–8 cm	Blunt Tip Injector – Straight
Contour defects, scars	1.2–1.6 mm (18–16G)	8–12 cm	Spoon Tip Injector – Straight, Blunt Tip Injector – Curved
Breast refinement, body contour	1.8–2.4 mm (15–13G)	15–25 cm	Blunt Tip Injector – Curved, Spoon Tip Injector – Curved

These ranges are consistent with published examples:

●       Coleman technique: harvests with a 3 mm cannula and injects with 1.5 mm. Microfat is now commonly injected with 1 mm or 0.7 mm cannulas (PMC7212710).

●       Facial grafting: one board-certified plastic surgeon reports using 19–20G cannulas, placing about 0.1–0.2 cc per deposit (Greenberg, 2019).

Gluteal fat grafting (BBL) needs separate consideration. It has the highest mortality of any aesthetic operation, mainly from fat embolism after injury to deep gluteal veins. A 2025 review identifies cannula diameter, tip design, rigidity and port configuration as modifiable safety factors (gluteal lipofilling review). Gluteal injection typically uses larger, more rigid cannulas than the facial and refinement injectors above. Follow current specialist society guidance.

Does cannula size affect fat graft survival?

For injection, deposit size appears to matter more than cannula diameter. Small amounts placed over many passes give the most consistent results.

Study	Compared	Finding
Erdim et al., 2009	Harvest with 2, 4, 6 mm; inject through 14, 16, 20G	6 mm harvest gave higher adipocyte viability. Injection gauges performed similarly.
Min et al., 2009	Injection through 17, 18, 19G	No significant difference in viability.
Rubin et al., 2018	12–19G cannulas at 0.1, 0.5, 1.0 cc per pass	At 0.1 cc, no deposits were oversized. At 1.0 cc with a 12G cannula, up to 44% were too large.

What this means:

●       Harvesting: lab evidence favours larger-bore harvesting for cell viability (Erdim et al., 2009).

●       Injection: gauge alone made little difference to viability in the lab. What matters is deposit size, because large deposits exceed the distance grafted cells can survive from a blood supply.

●       Practical link: a finer injection cannula makes small deposits easier to place.

These are laboratory and small-sample studies. They inform instrument choice; they do not replace surgical judgement.

Types of fat grafting cannula tips and ports

The tip of a fat grafting cannula affects how it moves through tissue; the ports affect how fat flows in or out.

Tip	Design	Typical role	Surgical Green products
Blunt	Rounded closed end	Default for fat injection; pushes structures aside rather than cutting	Blunt Tip Injector (Straight/Curved), Blunt Extractor-Injector, Micro Hole Injector
Spoon	Blunt, spoon-shaped end	Rounded profile for guided placement	Spoon Tip Injector (Straight/Curved)
Sharp	Pointed or bevelled end	Easier entry through dense or fibrous tissue	Sharp Extractor-Injector

Blunt tips are standard for fat injection because tip design affects the risk of vessel injury (gluteal lipofilling review). Sharp tips are generally reserved for situations where a blunt tip will not pass.

Ports:

●       Harvesting: hole size controls parcel size. Fat harvested through a cannula produces particles up to the size of its opening (PMC7212710). Common patterns include Coleman-type, three-hole Mercedes (used by 27.3% of ISPRES respondents for small-volume harvesting), and multi-hole designs for microfat.

●       Injection: Surgical Green's injectors have 1–3 mm side ports with rounded edges. The Micro Hole Injector has a single 1 mm hole for fine placement.

Straight or curved? Straight cannulas give the most direct path. Curved cannulas follow a contour from one entry point. Both the Blunt Tip and Spoon Tip injectors come in both shapes.

Macrofat, microfat and nanofat: which cannula?

Fat type	What it is	Typical injector
Macrofat	Standard parcels for volume	1.4–2.4 mm
Microfat	Smaller parcels for fine areas, harvested with small-hole cannulas	0.7–1.2 mm
Nanofat	Mechanically emulsified and filtered fat, used mainly for skin quality rather than volume (Tonnard et al., 2013)	Very fine cannula or needle

For nanofat, the emulsifying and filtering equipment matters as much as the cannula.

Luer Lock vs Ultra Luer Lock vs Toomey: which hub?

The hub is the connector at the base of a fat grafting cannula, and it must match your syringe. At Surgical Green, the hub also sets the price.

Hub	Fits	Price	Choose when
Luer Lock	Standard Luer Lock syringes	£50	Most fat grafting; works with the 1–10 cc syringes common in fat transfer
Ultra Luer Lock	Ultra Luer Lock syringes	£70	Your clinic's syringes use this connector; confirm before ordering
Toomey (60 cc Monoject)	60 cc Toomey-tip syringes	£100	Larger-volume transfer (Spoon Tip Injector – Curved only)

A Luer Lock screws on and stays secure under injection pressure. Standardise on one hub type so every cannula on the tray fits every syringe.

Reusable or single-use?

All 7 cannulas in Surgical Green's Fat Grafting Cannulas collection are reusable stainless steel, offering the widest size choice (0.7–2.4 mm, 4–25 cm) and a lower cost per procedure over time.

●       Reusable suits clinics with validated sterile services.

●       Single-use cannulas arrive sterile and suit lower-volume settings or clinics without reprocessing. See Single Use Cannulas.

Reprocessing narrow-bore cannulas:

1. Clean straight after use, before fat dries in the bore.
2. Use a brush sized to the internal diameter.
3. Inspect the ports and bore for residue before packing.
4. Steam sterilise to the manufacturer's instructions and your validated protocol. In England, follow HTM 01-01 (see Sources).

See our instrument care guide for more.

[INFOGRAPHIC 1 — "Choosing a Fat Grafting Cannula in 4 Steps"] Flow: 1. Recipient area → 2. Fat type → 3. Diameter and length → 4. Hub. One icon and one line per step.

Example tray: facial and hand fat grafting

1. Harvest: 2–3 mm multi-hole harvesting cannula, 10–15 cm, with 10 cc Luer Lock syringes. If the donor site is infiltrated first, see our guide to infiltration cannulas in tumescent technique.
2. Fine facial: 0.7 or 0.9 mm Micro Hole Injector or Blunt Extractor-Injector, 4–6 cm.
3. Mid-face: 1.0–1.2 mm Blunt Tip Injector – Straight, 7–10 cm.
4. Hands: 1.2–1.4 mm Blunt Tip Injector, 5–8 cm.
5. Hub: Luer Lock throughout.

Adding body contour: add a 1.8–2.4 mm Blunt Tip or Spoon Tip Injector – Curved, 15–25 cm. Consider the Toomey hub for larger volumes.

This illustrates how sizes fit together; it is not a recommendation for any individual patient.

Common buying mistakes

1. Choosing harvesting cannulas by diameter alone. Hole size controls parcel size.
2. Mixing hub types. You then need two syringe systems.
3. Buying only long cannulas. Fine facial work needs 4–6 cm lengths for control.
4. One size for every area. The face, hands and body need different sizes.
5. Overlooking reprocessing. Narrow bores need the right brushes and a validated process.
6. Skipping compliance checks. Ask for UKCA or CE marking and documentation.

 

[INFOGRAPHIC 2 — "Cannula Size Guide by Area"] Body outline with callouts: Eyes/lips 0.7–0.9 mm, 4–6 cm · Cheeks/temples/jaw 1.0–1.2 mm, 6–10 cm · Hands 1.0–1.4 mm, 5–8 cm · Breast/body 1.8–2.4 mm, 15–25 cm. Footer: "Example ranges. The final choice rests with the treating surgeon."

UK buyer's checklist

●       UKCA or CE marked, with certificates available. Surgical Green's instruments are UKCA marked and MDR compliant (certifications).

●       Diameter (mm), gauge and length clearly stated.

●       Hub matches your syringes.

●       Tip and port design suits your recipient areas.

●       Medical-grade stainless steel with a smooth bore.

●       Clear reprocessing instructions.

●       Enough sizes to build a full tray from one supplier.

Frequently asked questions

What size cannula is used for fat grafting?

Fat is usually harvested with a 2–4 mm cannula and injected with a cannula of about 0.7–2.4 mm. The classic Coleman technique harvests with a 3 mm cannula and injects with a 1.5 mm cannula. Fine facial microfat is often injected with 0.7–1 mm cannulas.

What gauge is a 1.5 mm fat injection cannula?

A 1.5 mm cannula falls between 17G (1.4 mm) and 16G (1.6 mm). Gauge-to-mm values vary slightly by manufacturer, so check the millimetre figure on the product.

What cannula size is used for facial fat transfer?

Facial fat transfer commonly uses fine injection cannulas of about 0.7–1.2 mm (22–18G), in 4–10 cm lengths. Smaller sizes suit delicate areas such as around the eyes and lips.

Does cannula size affect fat graft survival?

Lab studies found little difference in fat cell viability between common injection cannula sizes. What matters more is deposit size: injecting small amounts, such as 0.1 cc per pass, reduces the risk of deposits too large to survive.

What is the difference between a harvesting cannula and an injection cannula?

A harvesting cannula collects fat from the donor site and usually has several holes and a 2–4 mm diameter. An injection cannula places fat at the recipient site, is thinner (about 0.7–2.4 mm), and usually has one or a few smooth ports.

What is a Coleman cannula?

A Coleman cannula is a blunt cannula design associated with Dr Sydney Coleman's structural fat grafting technique. The technique uses gentle syringe harvesting and injection of fat in many small parcels.

Are fat grafting cannulas reusable?

Both types exist. Reusable stainless steel cannulas are sterilized between procedures. Single-use cannulas arrive sterile and are discarded after use. Surgical Green's fat grafting injectors are reusable, and a separate single-use range is available.

Why are fat grafting cannulas blunt?

A blunt tip is designed to move tissue aside rather than cut it, which lowers the risk of injuring vessels at the recipient site. Tip design is discussed as a safety factor in gluteal fat grafting research.

 Conclusion

Choosing a fat grafting cannula means matching four things: recipient area, fat type, diameter and length, and hub. Harvest with 2–4 mm multi-hole cannulas; inject with 0.7 mm for fine facial microfat up to 2.4 mm for body contour. The evidence consistently favours small deposits over many passes, and the right injection cannula makes that easier.

Browse Surgical Green's Fat Grafting Cannulas: blunt, spoon and sharp-tip injectors from 0.7 to 2.4 mm, 4 to 25 cm, with Luer Lock, Ultra Luer Lock and Toomey hubs. For the full range, visit our liposuction hub.

Sources

1. Coleman SR. Structural fat grafting: more than a permanent filler. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2006;118(3 Suppl):108S–120S.
2. Fat Graft Size: Relationship Between Cannula and Needle Diameters. PubMed Central. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7212710/
3. Erdim M, Tezel E, Numanoglu A, Sav A. The effects of the size of liposuction cannula on adipocyte survival and the optimum temperature for fat graft storage. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2009;62(9):1210–1214. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18572007/
4. Min KH, Heo CY, et al. Correlation Analysis of Injection Cannula's Diameter and Fat Cell Viability in Autologous Fat Grafts. J Korean Soc Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2009;15(1):31–34. https://www.koreamed.org/SearchBasic.php?RID=784034
5. Rubin JP, et al. The Architecture of Fat Grafting II: Impact of Cannula Diameter. Plast Reconstr Surg. November 2018. Summarised by Greenberg L, 2019: https://www.laurengreenbergmd.com/uncategorized/does-the-size-of-your-cannula-affect-fat-survival-journal-time-and-sneak-peek-the-answer-is-yes/
6. Vizcay M, Saha S, Mohammad A, Pu LLQ, Yoshimura K, Magalon G. Current Fat Grafting Practices and Preferences: A Survey from Members of ISPRES. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2023;11(3). https://doaj.org/article/4794e952603b480c8d062f4e155b4db3
7. Tonnard P, Verpaele A, Peeters G, et al. Nanofat grafting: basic research and clinical applications. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2013;132(4):1017–1026.
8. Cannula characteristics and mortality risk in gluteal lipofilling: does diameter and tip design matter? A narrative review. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13572163/
9. NHS England. Health Technical Memorandum 01-01: Management and decontamination of surgical instruments (medical devices) used in acute care.

For healthcare professionals and procurement teams. Not medical advice. Instrument selection and technique are the responsibility of the treating clinician.