FACIAL FAT GRAFTING

Facial fat grafting may be a helpful adjunct in you facial rejuvenation plan, commonly performed at the same time as facelift and neck lift. Adding fat to specific areas of the face can augment soft tissue volume where it is needed and soften facial lines. Additionally, facial fat grafting has an effect on improving long-term skin quality (a benefit that is less well known). Unlike fillers, fat grafting becomes permanent after 1-3 treatments.

About 50% of the injected fat will remain and your body will absorb the other 50%. Up to 3 treatments are usually necessary to notice permanent results.

Dr. Sidney Coleman was first to notice improvements in skin quality after fat grafting in the 1990s, including softening of wrinkles, reduction in pore size and improved pigmentation. He noticed these changes happened gradually at first over a year, but with continued improvement long-term for many years after the initial procedure. Fat grafting has since been shown to be additionally useful in softening and releasing burn scar contractures, treating radiation damage and softening breast capsular contracture. When looked at under a microscope, histological reports confirmed new collagen deposition and an increase in dermal skin thickness after fat grafting.

Although it is unknown exactly how fat grafting improves skin quality, the effect is presumably related to a stem cell effect that triggers an increase in collagen, elastin and new cell growth. “Nanofat” grafting is a technique used to isolate growth factors and stem cells from harvested fat while simultaneously creating a form of injectable fat that can be injected through very fine needles into delicate areas of the face. Dr. Patrick Tonnard originally developed this technique in 2013. While “nanofat” injections will not increase soft tissue volume, they are most effective in improving skin quality.

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