You’re probably very familiar with injectables, such as Botox and dermal fillers like Juvederm to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles and to restore volume in the face, but have you heard about fat grafting for anti-aging? It’s one of the hottest alternatives to traditional fillers because it uses patients’ own body fat.
Here’s how the process works: With fat grafting, fat is removed from an area where a patient has it extra fat to spare, such as the abdomen, hips or thighs. The fat is gently removed by hand and centrifuged – this process separates the non-fat substances from the live fatty tissue. From there, the fat is gently injected into the face to restore facial volume – the main cause of facial aging.
We often think that aging consists of developing wrinkles, but that’s not the only thing we see with aging. The aging process comes down to atrophy. As people age, they lose facial volume. This leads to sagging skin and wrinkles. Fat grafting is a way to restore lost facial volume, yielding beautiful, younger-looking skin.
Fat Grafting for Natural-Looking Results
Even though fat grafting is usually well-tolerated because it involves using one’s own body fat instead of foreign substances, we must not forget that it’s still surgery. It should only be done by a board-certified plastic surgeon with experience in the procedure, because it is a meticulous technique that requires a trained eye and great skill. The procedure must be done very carefully in order for the fat to survive well and to achieve natural-looking results.
Is fat grafting to the face worth it? We’ve had patients come to us four or six months after the surgery and say, “Dr. Gorodisky, my facial skin looks the best it’s looked my entire adult life.” So yes, it’s definitely worth it. For patients who are looking to use their own fat because it doesn’t involve other substances, fat grafting can be the next best thing to a traditional facelift.
To learn more about fat grafting for the face, contact us today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Yuly Gorodisky, a board-certified plastic surgeon.