Facial fat grafting is a medical procedure that involves fat transfer or lipo injection. In this procedure, the fat cells are extracted from a certain body part like the abdomen, thighs, or elsewhere and injected into the desired facial area.
Fat grafting is a minimal invasive surgery that allows facial reconstruction especially with aged skin or sagging skin. After liposuction the fat is injected into the areas of the face that has lost volume and this produces a very natural result.This procedure is commonly done in the areas of the lips, eyes, cheeks and jaws.
Fat grafting in lips
In the lip area there are two types of treatments – nasolabial folds and marionette lines
Nasolabial folds are the area between the nose and the lips. Marionette lines runs between the lips and the chin. As an individual ages, these areas can become very wrinkly and non desirable. Fat grafting allows to fill hollow areas in the nasolabial folds and marionette lines, giving it a fuller and youthful appearance.
Fat grafting under the eyes
The under eye areas are the first areas to show signs of ageing. It can look very saggy and hollow. Fat grafting enables the under area to look more alive and fill up the volume that has been lost with age.
Facial fat grafting is definitely not only for older patients. It is also very popular among the younger patients as this procedure gives a very natural facial contour and face lifts.
The Procedure
The procedure of facial fat transfer is generally performed as follows:
- First of all, liposuction is done to remove or withdraw fats from desired parts of the body like the thighs, abdomen, arms, and stomach by utilizing fine cannulas.
- In order to remove any impurities and liquids, the withdrawn fat is then processed in a sterile environment.
- Finally, it is injected into the selected areas by making tiny incisions.
Fat grafting in breast reconstruction
Fat grafting is a breast augmentation procedure involving fat cells. The fat cells are derived from the body of the patient and injected into the breasts. This method is a safer alternative to breast augmentation with implants. It results in the breast that feels and looks more natural. This technique is less invasive and so the recovery time is short
For breast reconstruction, most surgeons recommend getting fat grafting as the results are natural and the healing time is quick.
Benefits of Fat Transfer Breast Augmentation
There are plenty of advantages of breast augmentation with fat transfer.
- The usage of the fat cell from own body is a very safe alternative to silicone or saline implants.
- The breasts feel and look natural.
- The incision is minute, so the procedure does not take time.
- No foreign or artificial material is inserted in the body.
- Liposuction allows the body to lose weight.
- The recovery and aftercare also does not take time.
Facial Fat Grafting Cost
The cost of fat grafting differs according to the experience of the surgeon, clinic, geographical area and amount of liposuction required.
The average cost of breast augmentation with fat transfer in the US is around $6,525, depending upon the plastic surgeon or the clinics. Traditional breast augmentation with implants costs around $6,300.
While comparing, there not might be a notable difference in the cost, but fat grafting procedure is a lot more expensive than the traditional breast augmentation. The results of fat grafting are better if the process is done more than once because there is only a specific volume of fat cells that should be injected in a single procedure. This is how it becomes expensive.
Facial Fat Grafting Recovery Time
The result depends on the areas that are going through fat grafting. In cases of breasts, most likely, patients see an increase in bra cup sizes from 1-1.5. Since this procedure involves fat grafting, it is usually softer and one of the most natural ways to enlarge the breast size.
In cases of the facial area there might be some soreness or slight pain so it might be a little difficult to talk if surgery has been performed in the lip area.
Since this procedure can be completed within a day, most patients are able to resume normal activity or take showers. A patient may recover within a week or a few days. It is normal to experience some swelling or inflammation in or around the area that has the incision but it is likely a minimal pain that last for a few days. There may also be some soreness around the areas that had liposuction. If there is intolerable pain consulting the concerned plastic surgeon can help ease the pain.
The success rate of fat grafting
With certified surgeons and good clinics, there is always a positive outcome. Especially with facial fat transfer, the outcome and results are usually positive. The areas or contours are small and a single procedure and really help reach the desired result.
In breast reconstruction cases, there can be complications where the fat grafted does not survive. This is so because after transferring living fat cells into the breasts, the blood supply must be reestablished for the fat cells to survive. Sometimes, the fat cells and be reabsorbed by the body if it does not receive access to the blood vessels.
How to choose a good surgeon?
It is very vital to choose a good surgeon. It is also important to know that the surgeon has excellent credentials and can be trusted for the procedure.
- Make sure to do some researches or look up on the internet about the work experiences and surgery success the surgeon had.
- If the surgeon is new, try to find where he/she completed their medical course and try to build a trust relationship with the doctor.
- Book appointments and have conversations with the surgeon to build trust. So having multiple consultations with the concerned surgeon is very important.
- Communication is the key. So any doubts or questions must be brought up prior to committing to the surgery.
