InHealth: Facial Fat Fixes

By Mark Checcone, M.D, F.A.C.S

What single procedure to the face can restore volume deflation, smooth fine lines and wrinkles, reverse sun damage, and minimize acne and scars?

Fat transplantation or fat transfer is a procedure, or more correctly, a series of procedures that moves fat from an unwanted area to positively enhance a treatment area. Most common donor sites include excess fat from the belly, love handles, thighs or saddle bags usually removed by liposuction. This is followed by careful processing of the fat cells which are then re-injected into areas where more volume is desired, most often the face. 

Your own fat is a natural filler which fills in hollowed facial contours like the temples, lower eyelids, cheeks, lips and jawline. When you think about the ideal facial filler, fat fits the bill—it is autologous (from your own body), ubiquitous in most people, and permanent once the fat reestablishes a blood supply in its new location.

Facial fat transfer has evolved dramatically in the last few years as refinements to the technique have increased effectiveness and predictability. Traditional fat transplantation was not completely predictable or reliable, but new techniques distinguish MICRO fat transplantation from NANO fat transplantation based on the particle size of the fat cell, the lipocyte. The processing of fat can either leave the lipocyte intact for volume preservation in micro fat transfer or sheer the cells to fragments maximizing the availability of stem cells in nano fat transfer. The magic of fat transfer comes from the stem cells which stimulate new healthy skin growth and increased collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid to boost skin tone, improve texture, smooth out fine lines, and remodel unsightly scars.

Everybody is able to recognize an aging face, but identifying which features are responsible for an aged appearance and how to reverse it is a more difficult task. In consultation with a facial plastic surgeon, the specific areas of your own face that give away your age are the target areas that make you a good candidate. Examples of telltale signs of aging in the upper third of the face include temple atrophy, forehead wrinkles, droopy eyelids and sagging eyebrows. The middle third of the aging face contains lower eyelid bags, cheek deflation or drooping with heavy smile lines,  and elongation of nasal tips and earlobes. In the lower third of the face there are elongation of the upper lip, thinning of the pink lips, and drooping jowls along the jaw line. 

Early signs of aging generally involve excess fine lines, sun damaged skin and texture irregularities to the skin. Younger patients who have been reluctant to start treatments for age related changes have found tremendous benefits to nano fat transfer to improve scarring, acne or pock marks and skin irregularities. The beauty of facial fat transfer is that when performed correctly, each of these signs of aging can be improved or reversed.

Filling up deflated or sagging faces with more volume is a multi-billion dollar industry with all the facial filler and injectable products that are available in the market today. Using your own unwanted fat reliably is something now readily available for the right candidate. Both young and old persons can benefit from fat transfer to restore volumes and improve surface irregularities like acne scars, sun damage, or irregular skin texture.

Mark Checcone, M.D, F.A.C.S
Rejuve Face
1958 Prospect Street, Sarasota, FL
941.404.LIFT (5438)
info@RejuveFace.com
rejuveface.com