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Fat Injections That Last

 

What’s a more natural material to use in cosmetic facial procedures than fat, especially when it is your own fat? And, because fat is natural, it looks more natural than some other things that could be injected into the human body. Because of this, fat injections, or fat grafting, have been used for a long time in cosmetic surgical procedures. As an augmentation material for soft tissue procedures, there is nothing better. However, using fat has had its downside as well. Due to the nature of fat, it is reabsorbed into the body, making any procedure a temporary one.

A Permanent Solution

The reason fat grafting has had problems lasting is that in order for it to persist in its new location the blood supply to the area needs to be developed. This is virtually impossible when large amounts of fat are injected at the same time. The result is reabsorption, and thus temporary.

However, there is a procedure used by experienced cosmetic surgeons called structural fat grafting, which requires different surgical instruments than those used in the past. This procedure, also called microfat grafting or lipostructure, injects tiny amounts of fat at a time. Small layers are built by injecting less than 0.1cc of fat at a time into the preferred area. Because space is created between each layer, new blood vessels grow making a permanent improvement. In the past, overcompensation of the area with masses of fat was the way to go. By doing this, the patient and cosmetic surgeon could be assured that the added fat would last longer than it might otherwise.

Structural fat grafting is used to fill in sunken cheeks, hollows created by the eyelids, “tear troughs†beneath the eyes, and when too much skin or fat is removed during a blepharoplasty procedure. Furthermore, patients who have seen fat lost through Thermage or IPL may also benefit from structural fat grafting.

About the Author

If you are in the Chicago area and are interested in a permanent solution to filling in those hollow areas in your face, please contact Dr. Otto Placik to find out more about structural fat grafting.