As you age, your face can change dramatically. Unfortunately, facial aging means more than wrinkles and dark spots; it also means the loss of elasticity in the skin which can cause parts of your face to look hollow and empty. This depletion of volume can contribute to an older and more tired appearance. If you have started to see hollow spaces under your eyes and cheeks, sunken facial features, wrinkles, marionette lines, thinning lips and/or smile lines, then fat grafting (also known as fat transfer) may be a good procedure for you.
The majority of our patients notice a dramatic increase in how their eyes look. This improved appearance is often accompanied by a feeling of tightness in upper or lower eyelid skin that may last a few weeks or months. Bags and bulges are significantly reduced. Patient may sometimes experience slight corrections in their eyesight, or regain some of their lost peripheral vision after removing excess skin that fully or partially covered the eye.
Those who have sunken hollows underneath their eyes can benefit by having a fat transfer procedure in conjunction with a chemical peel. This combination will provide more youthful contours from the cheek area to the eyelashes. In most cases, a loss in volume is also accompanied by cheek tissues that gravitate away from the outer rim of the orbital or cheek bone. For the past 10 years or so, fat transfer procedures to plump under eye hollows has been all the rage, and may provide exceptional results when combined with a mid-face lift or chemical peel.
-
At English Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery Center, fat grafting surgery minimally invasive, so it is typically carried out under light anesthesia and is performed at our accredited surgical facility.
-
Fat grafting involves removing fat from a donor area such as the thighs, abdomen and/or buttocks and injecting that fat into targeted areas of the face.
-
Only tiny amounts of fat are removed, so it is important to not equate fat grafting with liposuction. Before the donor fat is injected, it is gently hand-harvested and put through a purification process.
-
Grafted fat has a richer blood supply for survival, so the results are smoother and long-lasting.
-
The results of fat grafting surgery are all natural, using your own fat rather than implants or fillers.
-
The recovery is quick and easy.
During the initial fat grafting consultation, Dr. English will analyze your face and discuss your objectives. He will also review your medical history and lifestyle choices while conducting a physical exam to determine your skin quality, elasticity, and thickness for optimal results. You may be a candidate for fat grafting surgery if you:
-
want to gain a more youthful facial appearance and fill in areas of your face that have lost volume;
-
are in good physical and mental health, with good elasticity of the skin;
-
are a non-smoker or committed to refraining from smoking;
-
have realistic expectations of the outcome of your fat grafting surgery; and
-
understand the recovery process.
Once your fat transfer is complete, you may have some slight swelling or bruising in the treated areas of the face as well as at the donor site. The swelling typically only lasts three to five days. You can expect to return to work and your normal daily activities within a couple days of your fat transfer procedure.