The shape of your facial features isn’t just determined by your bone and muscle structure; it is also determined by the quality of your skin and the amount of fat that exists underneath. Skin and fat contribute to the shape and contours of the face.

Unfortunately, loss of facial fat occurs as we age. Less collagen and elastin is produced by the body, leading to sagging skin with less volume. When you start to notice this loss of fat and drooping of the skin, it may be time to consider facial fat grafting.

Facial Fat Grafting

Facial fat grafting is a procedure that restores volume in the face, reduces wrinkles and hollow regions, and improves the facial contours. The procedure, also known as fat transfer, takes fat from one part of the body and injects it into the face. The process can fill sunken areas caused by age, acne scars, illness, injury, and more.

Doctors have used fat for centuries to correct undesirable contours. The reason behind this is that a person’s natural fat is bio-compatible, so our body accepts it easily and without risk of allergic reaction. It can result in a more natural and authentic feel than implants or synthetic fillers.

Benefits of Facial Fat Grafting

There are many benefits to facial fat grafting:

• Fat grafting can counteract early signs of aging by filling in sunken cheeks, correcting skin depressions, and smoothing away forehead wrinkles.
• Donor fat may be harvested from trouble like the hips, thighs, abdomen, arms, or buttocks.
• Fat grafting is a safer option than many other procedures because it is performed using your own fat cells, ensuring that there is no chance of rejection. A lower risk of complications is also ensured.

Ideal Candidates

The best candidates for facial fat grafting are physically healthy. They do not smoke or are willing to quit – smoking can cause complications with the healing process and can negatively affect the outcome of the procedure. It is also important to have realistic expectations in terms of results.

How Does Facial Fat Grafting Work?

The first step is collecting fat cells from donor areas in your body. The fat cells will be harvested from the donor site using a syringe with a large-bore needle. They will then be purified in order to remove any unnecessary material.

Local anesthesia is then administered in small amounts to the areas targeted for volumizing. For larger fat-grafting procedures, sedation may be used as well. The purified fat is then re-injected into the patient’s desired areas of improvement. One session is all it takes to see results.

Overfilling of the treatment areas may be necessary in order to compensate for the partial loss of transferred cells that occurs after the procedure.

Recovery After Facial Fat Grafting

Recovery will largely depend on the extent of your procedure. Swelling and bruising will be noticed after fat grafting, but these will only be temporary. Dr. Ceydeli will prescribe pain medication to treat discomfort and will advise you on how to best take care of the treated areas. Strenuous activities must be avoided for a time.

Final Results

A few weeks may pass before the final results of your fat grafting are evident. The fat cells add volume, smoothing away wrinkles and facial scars right away while stimulating collagen production. The effects continue to become more visible as time passes and natural collagen production increases. With successful facial fat grafting, results can last for a very long time.

Find Out More Today

Schedule a consultation with Dr. Adil Ceydeli, a board-certified plastic surgeon with years of experience – contact our office today to get started.