Benefits
Fat grafting softens and smoothes transitions in the face caused by wrinkles and lines due to aging. It is an alternative for those who are allergic to fillers or whose body metabolizes fillers quickly causing the patient to receive fillers more often. The use of the patient’s own fat allows results to be more natural and semi-permanent than fillers.
Consultation
During a consultation, board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Kristi Hustak will evaluate the patient’s desired areas he/she would like to improve while asking a series of questions to better understand the patient’s wants and needs. After carefully listening to the patient’s goal(s), Dr. Hustak will design a personalized plan best suited to help the patient achieve his/her desired goal(s).
Surgery
Facial fat grafting is a two-part procedure that uses liposuction and fat grafting. Beginning with liposuction, Dr. Hustak injects a tumescent solution into the areas that fat removal will be performed. The tumescent solution breaks up the fat allowing Dr. Hustak to remove unwanted excess fat from the donor sites. Once the fat is removed, it is placed in a container to be purified and prepared for injection into the face. With small amounts at a time, Dr. Hustak will evenly disperse the fat into the areas of the face giving the patient a more defined and enhanced appearance.
Recovery
Dr. Hustak may require the patient to wear bandages around the donor site to reduce swelling. After 3-4 days patients may resume regular activities but swelling and bruising will still be visible for at least two weeks. Patients are asked to refrain from wearing makeup for the first week after surgery to keep the risk of infection to a minimum. Since the incisions are minimal, there is little to no scarring.
Combining Procedures
Face Lift – Removes sagging, excess skin, and muscle around the face and redistributes fat to areas that have become hollow due to aging and gravity giving patients a refreshed and younger appearance. Facial Fat Grafting enhances facelift results by adding more volume to hollow areas giving patients a more youthful appearance. Learn more >
Neck Lift – Removes sagging excess skin and tightens muscles while fat grafting adds volume to their chin without the use of an implant. Often, patients requiring a neck lift in younger years have a weaker chin as well.
Liposuction – Removes excess fat while contouring the body. Learn more >
FAQ's
Facial Fat Grafting is a semi-permanent filler that can last years. More active areas (lips) will not last as long as other areas like the temples or cheeks, but will still have a longer-lasting effect than fillers.
No, facial fat grafting improves volume and is equivalent to results for liquid facelifts. While facial fat grafting does fill areas, it does not remove excess skin or tighten loose muscles. The best way to fix loose skin or lax muscles is by removing the excess skin and tightening the muscles by either performing a facelift or a neck lift.
Facial fat grafting is semi-permanent and lasts longer than fillers or wrinkle reducers.
Spa Products and Treatments
SkinMedica- TNS Essential Serum: Improves skin’s tone and texture while reducing fine lines and wrinkles.
Revision- DEJ Face Cream: Renews the appearance of aging skin by moisturizing the skin for a smoother texture.
Alastin- Regenerating Skin Nectar: Supports the skin before, during, and after cosmetic procedures by enhancing the skin’s natural regeneration process.
Botox: decreases wrinkles and movement of muscles. Botox is great to have done 2 weeks before fat grafting to increase the body’s graft take.
Thermitight or Facetite: THERMItight and FaceTite both use radiofrequency to reach deeper levels of the tissue to tighten and firm the skin while increasing collagen production. The difference between the two treatments is FaceTite incorporates liposuction to extract the fat melted.
Halo: Hybrid fractional laser that targets fine lines and wrinkles, large pores, sun damage, and more.
