Facial Fat Grafting, also called fat injection or fat transfer, is an increasingly popular choice as a facial plastic surgery option for correcting signs of aging . Youthful faces are full, with apple-shaped cheeks, but aging causes us to lose this shape. We develop too much fullness around the jowls and chin, while losing volume in the midface, sometimes causing our cheeks to look hollow. Meanwhile, the areas around our eyes, nose, and mouth tend to develop lines, wrinkles, and folds.
After harvesting fat from areas that have too much fat, such as the abdomen, hips, or flanks, Dr. Steve Montante can re-inject that fat into the areas of your face and neck that need more volume. The result is a natural-looking, more youthful appearance.
The fat is harvested through liposuction. While the amount of fat needed for the face is minimal, you can decide to have as much fat removed from the lower body as you like, essentially redistributing the fat on your body. One of the advantages of this technique is that there is no risk of an allergic reaction from the injection of your own fat cells.
Fat grafting has advanced significantly in the last decade, but 30-40% of the fat injected is still eventually absorbed by the body. For this reason, you may require more than one procedure to achieve optimal results. The fat that is transferred can continue to generate new fat cells, however, which can prevent further signs of aging for years to come. Therefore, the outcome of this technique is long-lasting. If you are interested in receiving facial fat grafting in our Richmond office, call today.
What Can Facial Fat Grafting Do for You?
This procedure can:
- Add facial volume where needed, such as the cheeks, lips, temples, and/or jawline
- Fill hollowed areas on the face or neck
- Correct or improve moderate to severe wrinkles and folds like marionette lines and nasolabial folds
- Improve the appearance of jowls
- Correct deep forehead creases
- Improve tear troughs under the eyes or hollows around the eyes
Dr. Montante will spend time with you during your initial consultation to hear your concerns and goals, as well as answer your questions. He will review your medical history, followed by an examination of the areas you wish to treat, as well as possible areas for harvesting of fat cells.
Dr. Montante will advise you of all preparations to take prior to your operation. If you are a smoker, for example, you will need to stop for a period of time before surgery.
What Should you Expect from Facial Fat Grafting?
In our Richmond office, facial fat grafting is performed using sedation or general anesthesia and takes about 1 hour to complete. Liposuction is used to harvest fat from an area of the lower body that has been decided ahead of time. Small incisions are made, and a cannula (tube) is inserted that is attached to a vacuum-like device that removes excess fat as Dr. Montante moves the cannula in and out. The extracted fat is then treated and purified. A small needle is used to inject the purified fat into the facial or neck areas that need more volume. If you have been sedated rather than under general anesthesia, a local anesthetic will be used at the harvest sites and injection sites.
Recovering from Facial Fat Grafting in Richmond
Sutures from the small incisions from liposuction will be removed in about a week. You should be able to return to work and other normal activities within 1-2 weeks depending on the extent of your liposuction.
Expect to feel some mild post-operative discomfort, but this can be managed with oral pain medication. Swelling and bruising are normal, and swelling can be reduced with cold compresses.
We will provide a topical antibiotic ointment for the injection sites on your face and/or neck. Sleep with your head elevated for a few days to reduce swelling. You may also experience some numbness in the treated areas, both on the face and lower body.
You will begin to see results within 3-5 days and additional improvement for 6 months.
Defy aging by transferring your own fat cells from your body to your face. Call us today to schedule a consultation to find out more about Facial Fat Grafting in our Richmond office.