If you’re in your thirties or forties and concerned that your face doesn’t look as full as it once did – maybe it’s more hollow or thinner – you’re probably not imagining things. Your face begins to lose volume in your thirties and continues to lose volume for as long as you live. In fact, by age 30, most adults begin experiencing a net loss of nearly 5% of their natural collagen production per year.
Many people turn to dermal fillers to replace lost facial volume, such as Restylane, Juvéderm, and Sculptra, all of which are designed to fill in areas that appear hollow or thin. However, there’s an alternative to never-ending injections, and it’s called autologous fat grafting, which makes your face look fuller, reduces the appearance of wrinkles, and gives you a younger, more vibrant facial appearance.
Even better, autologous fat grafting is a permanent solution, which means you don’t have to return for annual injections of dermal filler.
What is Autologous Fat Grafting?
Autologous fat grafting goes by another name – fat transfer. A fat transfer occurs when Dr. Marc Wetherington transfers fat from one area of your body to another. Along with the face, Dr. Wetherington can perform fat transfer procedures on your buttocks and breasts.
These surgical procedures first involve Dr. Wetherington removing fat from one part of your body – using liposuction – and then carefully injecting it into the area of your body where you desire a fuller appearance. After a fat transfer is performed, you can expect to see not only increased volume in your face around your eyes, temples, cheeks, but also decreased appearance of facial wrinkles.
The Advantages of Fat Grafting
If you’re looking to revitalize your youthful facial appearance, then autologous fat transfer is worth considering for several reasons.
- It’s permanent. Having a fat transfer of the face is a highly effective way to achieve permanent fullness in your face. Unlike other procedures that can achieve comparable results, you won’t need to repeat a fat transfer every six to 12 months for your results to last. Overall, getting a fat transfer of the face saves you time and money over temporary procedures.
- It’s natural. Dr. Wetherington only uses fat from other areas of your own body to complete the fat transfer to your face. This means the procedure is safe, without the risks of your body rejecting synthetic materials, and your results from the fat transfer look extremely natural.
- It can rejuvenate your appearance. Autologous fat grafting makes your face appear fuller, which comes with additional benefits beyond a younger-looking face. You’ll also find wrinkles and facial scarring are diminished.
- It’s quick. Most often, a fat transfer of the face is performed as outpatient surgery. This means you can go home the same day after getting this minor surgical procedure.
What to Expect
Prior to your procedure, Dr. Wetherington will develop a treatment plan based on the facial volumizing results you desire. He’ll also determine the areas of your body where you’ll receive liposuction to harvest the fat that’s injected into your face.
On the day of surgery, liposuction on those chosen body parts is the first procedure Dr. Wetherington will perform. This procedure involves suctioning fat from that body part using a cannula.
Next, Dr. Wetherington will purify your harvested body fat. This involves removing any extra liquids and deceased or injured fat cells from your body fat.
Once purification is complete, your body fat will be injected into your facial tissues. The injections take place in different areas of your face, focusing on the areas you’d like your face to have more volume.
If permanently adding volume to your face is something you think might be of benefit, then we would welcome a conversation with you. Just contact us to get started.
