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Fat Transfer
Autologous fat (adipose tissue) transfer
is today's number one filling agent for wrinkles and creases on
our faces.
Adipose (fat) is a very abundant tissue which we all have in our
body. The fat cell has the capacity to increase and decrease in
size; this depends on our physical activity. When we lose weight
the fat cells decrease in size when we gain weight they increase.
We do not get rid of them; for this we have liposuction.
As we age the appearance of wrinkles on our face is inevitable.
Even though wrinkles are part of our aging process and there is
nothing we can do to stop it, we can attenuate the wrinkles or creases
with fat.
Also, the older we get we start to lose our fat from our upper
face (cheeks). This fat with loose skin starts to show up in the
jowls area, giving us a sad, gloomy look. By placing the fat in the
upper third of our face we produce an uplift effect; thereby
we reshape the face to the more youthful years.
This procedure can be used alone or in combination with other facial
rejuvenation procedures like face lifting, chemical peels, eyelid
surgery to treat wrinkles. It is also used to rejuvenate the dorsum
of the hands, nasal labial fold or any body depression as well as
lip enhancement.
Since it is the patient's own fat there is no risk of rejection.
No possibility of allergies. It is mainly used to produce a more
youthful look and recontouring of the face.
Frequently the fat is taken at the time of a liposuction, even though
both methods are totally different regarding the way fat has to
be harvested.
We have been using fat grafting for 12 years now with excellent
and long lasting results. Since fat is just below the skin the plastic
surgeon has easy accessibility to it.
This a very safe procedure with rare
complications. It is the patients own fat; local anesthesia is used,
and all cannulas are blunt, to harvest and to place the fat into
the face (so there is no sharp or cutting instruments during the
procedure).
THE PROCEDURE
It is done with local anesthesia in
our surgical suite as an outpatient procedure. No sutures are needed.
Once the harvesting site is determined (abdomen, hips, thighs) the
area is anesthetized. Next the fat is harvested with blunt 1-2 millimeter
cannulas. Then the fat is washed and prepared to be placed in the
area that needs the improvement. The recipient site is anesthetized
and the fat is placed with a blunt cannula.
The amount of fat put in each area is always more than needed.
The reason for this is that we know that 50-60% will be absorbed
by the body, the rest will stay. We always keep some of the patient's
fat in our Fat Bank, Freezer. If in the future you need more grafting
to an area we already have it (fat) ready to apply. Most patients
need two sessions; but by having the fat in the Bank there is no
need to harvest it again. Our own pathological studies have shown
that we can still use the fat 12-13 months after harvesting. The
cells of the adipose tissue (fat) maintain all their anatomical and
physiological properties.
POST OPERATORY
The patient leaves after the procedure
is done. We always place some ice over the treated areas so there
is the least swelling possible. You can expect swelling for the
first 48 hours. All patients are seen the next day after the procedure.
Occasionally patients develop ecchymosis (black and blue areas) and
if they do, the bruising disappears in 5-7 days. Also they are very easy
to cover up with makeup.
Fat grafting is a safe ambulatory
procedure done under local anesthesia with long lasting results and no risk of rejection or allergies. All of us have plenty of it.
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