Facial
wrinkles and creases are part of the ageing
process. They begin to appear as the underlying
collagen and elastic fibers break down and wear
out. While this breakdown is part of the natural
ageing process, it can also result from excessive
squinting, frowning and smiling.
Fat
transfer, also called autologous fat transplantation
or micro-lipoinjection, plumps up facial features
with patients own fat, and is a popular alternative
to other wrinkle treatments. Fat transfer to
the face is a safe, natural, non-allergenic
procedure, designed to recontour your face,
and can provide definition to your cheeks and
chin. It can also be used to correct facial
deformities. Since fat transfer uses your own
fat cells, you can never have an allergic reaction,
because it's from your own body.
With
fat transfer, it is possible to have fat liposuctioned
from your thighs for example, and then transferred
to any area of your body. Re injected fat lasts
longer in larger areas of non-movement, so it
is very successful for the correction of sunken
cheeks, because this area does not move as often.
Fat transfer can also correct atrophic ageing
of the hands, and post-surgical and post-traumatic
defects. But not every area of the body responds
well to fat transfer. The breasts for instance,
are not appropriate. Injecting fat into the
breast makes it much more difficult to detect
breast cancer with mammograms.
How
is the procedure done?
Fat
transfer is performed in our office on an outpatient
basis.
Using
a small needle attached to a syringe, fat is removed
from a donor site, where the fat is most tightly
packed, such as the abdomen or the buttocks.
Once
removed, the fat is processed to remove excess
fluids, and then re-injected using another needle,
which is placed under the skin beneath the wrinkle.
This process may be repeated until the desired
correction has been achieved.
Harvesting
the fat cells for re-injection is often performed
in conjunction with other procedures, such as
liposuction, tummy tuck or cosmetic breast surgery.
Fat harvested can we stored in our "FAT
BANK" for future use.
