As people age, the skin and muscles on their face can become loose and begin to sag leading to wrinkles and deflated regions. Your skin can start to look older, and certain areas may lose volume and appear collapsed. These changes in facial appearance can be embarrassing for many people. Fortunately, with facial fat transfer, you can harvest fat from various areas of your body, such as your thighs or hips, and have the fat relocated to the shallow regions of your face. The results from facial fat transfer include refreshed, younger-looking skin that appears completely natural.
How Does It Work?
By removing fat from specific locations of the body using liposuction, your body will not reject the injected material, so adverse complications rarely occur. After the fat is removed from the donation site, it is filtered through a purification process and then injected into the appropriate areas of the face. The purified fat must attach to the blood supply to retain structure, so most of the injected fat cells will be reabsorbed into the body. Some patients require more than one facial fat transfer treatment to achieve their desired contour. This procedure can reduce fine lines and wrinkles while adding fullness to areas of concern to rejuvenate your facial appearance.
This procedure is commonly combined with other treatments to achieve desired results. Brow lift surgery to improve sagging eyebrows and forehead wrinkles, eyelid surgery to reduce drooping of eyelid skin, or a facelift to raise and tighten facial dermis can all be combined with facial fat transfer surgery. During your consultation with Dr. Diamond, you will discuss your expectations, preferences, and desired outcome.
Ideal Candidates
People who seek facial fat transfer should be in good health and avoid smoking. If you identify with one or more of the following guidelines, then this procedure might be an excellent choice for achieving your goals. Do you have:
- Adequate blood circulation?
- Feelings of dissatisfaction with your current facial appearance?
- Visible aging or sunken areas in your face?
What to Expect After Facial Fat Transfer
For most patients, the main side effects are swelling and bruising in the face and fat donor locations. Utilizing a cold compress will comfort most existing pain from your procedure, and compression garments are commonly used to support the incision areas. In some cases, patients may experience discomfort for up to three months. Oral pain medication and antibiotic ointment can be prescribed to aid in healing and alleviate discomfort during your recovery. Elevating your head for the first week after surgery is beneficial. After two to three weeks, your results should become fully visible, and swelling, bruising, and any other associated side effects should dissipate.
How to Retain Your Results
Because patients heal at different rates, their recovery might be different than someone else’s. It is important to follow your post-surgical care instructions to ensure that your recuperation is as comfortable as possible. By quitting tobacco product usage, incorporating a nutritious diet, and introducing a healthy skin care regimen, you can assist in extending your facial fat transfer outcome for long-term results.
If you are unhappy with your facial appearance due to aging or volume loss, please schedule a consultation by calling (310) 859-9816.