Facial fat is widespread, copious, and balanced in youth. However, as we age, the fat on our faces becomes “unbalanced,” revealing regions of visible fat surplus and withering. These changes arise in predictable patterns and appear to correlate with changes in overall body fat. In other words, increased fat causes deposits or fat hypertrophy in specific fat areas while remaining atrophic in others. The face undergoes various age-related changes as the human body matures. Gravity causes the soft facial tissues to droop, resulting in unsightly folds.
What Is Facial Fat Grafting?
Fat grafting is used by plastic surgeons for a variety of surgeries. Fat is transferred from another region of the body to the face during facial fat grafting. It is widely used on the cheeks, forehead, and around the eyes. Facial fat grafting is a type of long-term filler using one’s very own fat which is biocompatible to the body. However, around 60% to 75% of the injected fat is retained. The grafted fat contains stem cells which help with the overall rejuvenation of your skin.
The Procedure
Fat transfer, also known as fat grafting, fat injections, and lipo-filling, is a technique that fills in the face irregularities and grooves with a person’s own fat. It is one of the most often utilized procedures for facial contour augmentation. Furthermore, lipo-filling can be used to smooth out all sorts of abnormalities, such as those caused by inadequate liposuction or accidents.
Facial fat grafting is a surgical rejuvenation technique that involves liposuction on an area of your body that has accessible fatty tissue. A restricted liposculpture with one or more tiny incisions is used to acquire the required fat. Fat is usually extracted from the abdomen or the inner thigh. Centrifugation, filtration, or rinsing are used to process the acquired fat. The fat is then processed and packaged in tiny syringes for injection into parts of the face that require volume replacement. By injecting minute quantities of fat into the tissues, the fat is equally distributed throughout the region. This keeps the transplanted fat in touch with the surrounding healthy tissues, which need to feed it with oxygen, nutrients and also develop blood vessels to keep the fat cells alive.
Common sites which can benefit from fat grafting rejuvenation include the cheeks, paranasal (around the nostrils), nasolabial folds, forehead, lips, under-eye bags, and eye area. Plumping those areas of the face provides a more youthful appearance and can also be used to treat issues such as scarring.
How Long Does Recovery Take?
Depending on the specifics of their treatment plan, most people can return to normal activities in seven to ten days. Mild swelling at the injection site is common, but it should go away after two weeks. Fat graft survival is determined by the method utilized and the location of injection in the face. The cheeks and lower eyelid regions have a high survival rate, with reduced-fat graft survival in more mobile locations like the lips. While the aesthetic effects of face fat grafting are seen right away, the overall result often improves as swelling subsides and final results are reviewed around 4 to 5 months after the procedure.
How Long Do Results Last?
Fat transfer to the face has the advantage of outlasting the effects of injectable treatments such as fillers, and most patients obtain long-lasting rejuvenation results. The procedure used to collect and inject fat influences the eventual outcome. A small volume of fat injected into distinct tissue planes have the highest chance of surviving in the healthy tissue around them.
If a huge amount of fat is injected into a specific location, the core fat will not integrate into the tissue and will be resorbed by your body. Fat graft survival is similar to skin graft survival. Even if the greatest approach is used, part of the fat will be resorbed. Fat grafts have a higher survival rate when injected into tissue beds that are more fixed and less mobile. For example, a larger proportion of fat grafts may survive around the eyes and cheeks, whereas less fat graft survival can be expected in the more mobile regions such as the lower face and lips. The process of resorbing non-viable fat grafts takes around six weeks.
Will It Scar?
Fortunately, unlike other surgical treatments, the fat transfer usually leaves no visible scars. The fat is restored to the face using a tiny blunt-tip microcannula, allowing for little scarring. Incisions for access are done with a tiny needle that heals without leaving a noticeable mark.
Solution For Sagging Skin
Face sagging has historically been one of the most difficult regions to fix without surgery due to volume loss, loose skin which may be further aggravated by gravity. Significant collagen reserves are reduced throughout the aging process, particularly in the lower area of your face. Facial fat transfer can be used to restore volume in gently drooping skin and is frequently used in conjunction with facelift surgery to get rid of premature aging indicators. Because of the considerable collagen loss, the lowest portion of the face will have the most severe drooping skin. When treating minor drooping skin, a face fat transfer can be utilized to prevent surgery by restoring vital skin volume and youthful facial contours.
Fat injection procedures take longer than dermal filler injections because genuine fat must be harvested and purified before being injected. The procedure is more challenging since it involves the transfer of living tissue from one place of the body to another. The treatment is performed with a local anaesthetic and a little quantity of fat. Because some grafted fat may not survive the transfer, more sessions may be required.
Facial Fat Grafting Is Not As Invasive As You Think
Technically, fat grafting is a surgical treatment, although a minimally invasive one. The incisions created at the donor and transfer sites, as well as the equipment used to harvest and reinject the fat cells, are extremely small. For people who are hesitant to undergo a surgical operation under general anaesthesia, fat transfer can be a viable option with minimal downtime. In some cases, a face fat graft may be the best and least intrusive option. The donor and transfer locations will have very few incisions. Because the equipment used to collect fat cells and the needle used to re-inject them are both tiny, fat transfer is less invasive than many other face cosmetic treatments. This also implies less unpleasant recovery time for you, allowing you to go back to living your life as soon as possible.
Lesser Risks Of Rejection And Negative Reactions
One of the additional advantages of face fat grafting is this treatment uses your own fat cells to increase volume and restore your young appearance. Face fat grafting may represent fewer risks for sensitive people seeking to restore facial volume since it does not employ foreign devices such as implants or chemical treatments that might cause a modest risk of an allergic response. Because face fat grafting utilizes your own fat cells rather than synthetic chemicals, the chances of an unfavourable response at the injection site are quite low. In most circumstances, the surgery may be conducted in an outpatient environment under local anaesthetic or sedation, which is also less risky than general anaesthesia.
Am I A Good Candidate?
A man or woman who has begun to notice hollowing aspect of the face is a perfect candidate for cosmetic rejuvenation using facial fat grafting. These alterations might begin as early as one’s early thirties. Skin that is not too loose tends to respond better to fat grafting.
The majority of patients are in their late 30s to 50s, however, face rejuvenation with fat grafting may be performed effectively on adults in their 60s and 70s. Adjustments in the fat placements on each individual’s face can yield positive rejuvenation outcomes.
You may be a good candidate for the operation if you are usually healthy and have a realistic vision of the outcomes that may be obtained with face rejuvenation with fat grafting.
How Much Does Fat Grafting Costs?
The fat grafting cost in Singapore is typically around $4000 to $6000. The fat volume necessary for the target region, the number of sites for fat grafting, the time of the treatment required for each patient, and the choice of anaesthesia are all factors that influence the process cost.
Conclusion
Fat grafting offers a safe, long-lasting structural filler for changing face shapes that do not require incisions or skin lifts. The purpose of fat grafting is to use your own stem-cell-rich fat to restore a more youthful face shape, enhance skin quality, and reduce pigment abnormalities caused by sun exposure and the aging process. Fat grafting is not a new procedure; it has been used in various forms for decades. However, in recent years, we have obtained a better understanding of how to harvest, prepare, and reinject the fat to make this a safer and more effective treatment with longer-lasting results.
About Dream Aesthetics and Plastic Surgery
Bespoke surgical for cosmetic or medical reasons is what Dream covers to bring out the beauty in every individual. Going beyond the aesthetics and working on physical anomalies are what we value the most in leading our patients to cherish self-improvement and confident lifestyles.
Derived from Associate Professor Vincent Yeow’s long-standing experience performing plastic surgery in Singapore, our treatment plans deliver physical remodelling in our patients’ favour. One of the notable remodellings is droopy eyelid correction. The ptosis surgery used for treatment eventually fixes drooping eyelids, improves vision and enhances appearance.
Most importantly, as a trustworthy plastic surgery and aesthetic clinic, we treasure positive and natural outcomes for each individual. We will ensure to deliver the beauty refinement of your dream without compromising your safety and privacy.
