While most people consider the most significant signs of aging as wrinkles and saggy skin, facial volume loss is one of the major underlying causes of these signs. The loss of facial volume can lead to the accentuation of the temple’s bony contours, the eyes, and can cause the cheeks to appear flatter and less full.

Fat transfer is often known as fat grafting, and it is a natural minimally invasive surgical procedure to relocate fat from an area of the body to the face for volume restoration. The fat is gently removed using modern liposuction techniques and is prepared for facial transfer. This produces a natural appearance and has a low risk of infection or body fat rejection. Common treatment areas include the nasolabial folds (between the nose and the lips), marionette lines (between the lips and chin), cheeks, jaws, and eye hallows. Facial injections are most often used to improve facial contour and volume in younger patients who desire  more prominent cheekbones or chin.

Fat injection is a fairly gentle procedure but there are several steps to the process. First, liposuction techniques are used to remove fat from the predetermined body (abdomen, hips, or thighs). This is done through tiny incisions that leave almost no scarring. The retrieved fat is then gently prepared for injection using minimal manipulation. Fat is carefully injected into the lines, hollows, and depressions of the face using fine cannulas (tubes) placed through tiny incisions to rejuvenate and recontour. At times, a specialist  may overfill the treated areas to compensate for the percentage of fat cells that will not survive. Facial injection  is fairly straightforward and involves a simple incision in a discreet area approximate to where the fat will be placed. The fat  is injected through the incision with precautionary care to ensure that the fat will not shift.

Fat injection  recovery time varies from patient to patient, but most people should arrange to take at least 7 to 10 days off from work and other social activities. Initial healing takes about a few weeks after which the swelling gradually subsides and final results are made apparent. Though the recovery period is fairly mild for fat transfer, patients should allow adequate time to heal properly. Patients should see final results in about six months while improvements should be apparent a few days post-procedure. Facial injection  recovery is also a fairly mild process that requires at least a week of downtime before returning to work and other activities. Exercise should be limited for several weeks.

The benefits of fat transfer include:

• Longer lasting results
• Area of fat removal (abs or flanks) may appear slimmer
• Fat stem cells can create growth factors for better tissue quality
• Low recovery time

 

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