Facial fat transfer
Permanent volume.
Our face has a multitude of fat pads that gives us a youthful and heart-shaped appearance when properly positioned and volumized. Over time, these fat pads descend and lose volume, leading to a sunken and square-shaped appearance. Dermal fillers can temporarily correct this issue, while fat transfer restores lost volume permanently.
Fat is harvested from the abdomen or thighs through small incisions and injected strategically into the face to revolumize areas affected by aging. Since the fat is a graft and we anticipate a certain percentage to be reabsorbed, we usually overfill the area with more volume, expecting a natural appearance within a few weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Filler injection is temporary. Fat transfer is permanent. In patients who want more lasting, natural results, fat transfer tends to be the best option. It allows us to augment hollowed-out areas naturally. The fat that eventually survives the transfer is permanent.
Facial fat transfer is generally considered a safe procedure because it utilizes the patient’s own fat cells, which eliminates the risk of rejection or allergic reactions that can occur with synthetic fillers or implants. Since the transferred fat is from the patient’s own body, there is a lower risk of infection as well.
Typically, the fat is harvested from the abdomen via two several-millimeter incisions on either side of the belly button. If there is insufficient fat here, the fat is typically harvested from the inner thighs via an incision in the inner part of the lower thigh.
There is a wide range quoted in the literature but most estimates put it at 40-70%. This is why we tend to over-inject with the knowledge that some fat cells will not survive. Those that do will respond to weight gain or weight loss as normal fat cells do, by increasing in size or shrinking.
Typically, patients tend to tolerate this procedure very well. Pain is minimal and patients rarely require narcotic pain medication. You will have swelling in the areas injected that will subside typically within 2 weeks. Over the course of the next several months, the fat cells that do not take will resorb leaving you with the final result.
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Say goodbye to tired eyes and hello to a more youthful appearance!
