Facial rejuvenation can help restore a youthful appearance to areas that have experienced a loss of facial volume due to aging and other factors. Fat loss is usually most apparent in the hollow areas around the eyes and the cheeks. The restoration of fat can reduce the effect of fine lines and wrinkles and bring back a radiant look to the face. In this blog post Dr. Ronald Schuster discusses how facial rejuvenation with fat transfer works as well as who can benefit.
Good Candidates for Facial Rejuvenation
For people who are near their ideal weight range and are in good health, facial rejuvenation can be ideal for rolling back the clock in terms of their appearance. Almost all the key areas of the face can benefit from the procedure, including the cheeks, lips, temples, forehead and nasolabial folds (the region around the mouth between the cheek and nose).
As with all elective procedures, not everyone is a good candidate for facial rejuvenation with fat transfer. Good candidates include people with strong immune systems who are in good physical as well as mental health.
How the Procedure Is Performed
Dr. Schuster will identify a suitable donor source for fat from another part of the body. The abdomen, waist and inner thighs are the most common donor sites. The fat must be removed, prepared and placed in special ways in order to improve the chances of success. The fat will be removed and isolated from other unwanted elements that might be present. Once it is separated and concentrated, the new fat will be injected into the desired area. Once the fat is delivered to its new location, the fragile fat cells will be kept alive by your body’s small blood vessels as they deliver nutrients and “grow into” the fat.
There are a number of benefits from facial rejuvenation surgery. In addition to the obvious advantage of giving your face a fuller, more youthful appearance, the procedure:
- Is natural (uses the patient’s own body tissues)
- Is relatively painless
- Is long lasting (typically lasts several years)
- Delivers immediate results – but final results can take 3-6 months.
- Is natural looking
- Does not leave visible scarring
Since facial rejuvenation with fat transfer uses your own tissue, it is totally natural and does not pose the risk of any allergic reaction.
The downside of fat grafting is that you can be noticeably bruised for up to two to three weeks. The places that the fat are put need to be kept relatively “quiet” for a week. This is to improve the “take” and success of the fat graft survival.
The best way to determine if this procedure is right for you is to meet with Dr. Schuster in person. During your appointment, he will discuss your goals for facial rejuvenation and what you hope to look like after surgery. Based on this information, Dr. Schuster will recommend the type of surgery he feels will provide optimal results. Please contact our Baltimore office to request an appointment with Dr. Schuster today.
