A face lift alone is not always the solution for the improvement of one’s aging facial features. Over the years, the skin will lose its elasticity as well as some fat that helps keep a face looking young and healthy. Particular areas of the face have natural areas of fat that gives a person a much younger, fresher look, this can be lost with age. Because of this, some people with sagging, sunken in skin may consider a fat transfer combined with face lift.
The skin is dissected from the underlying tissue and the muscles are tightened if necessary. The skin of the face is redraped and excess skin is cut off. The incision line is sutured back into position with a smoother face as a result. The same procedure is done on the other side of the face so the two sides basically match each other.
Growth Factors & Stem Cells
When fat transfer is performed on a patient (and especially fat transfer to face), the patient receives the added benefit of stromal vascular fraction, which is a fancy way of saying – stem cells derived from adipose fat. When fat is removed from the patient’s body and processed, this produces a golden soupy fluid which contains growth factors and adult stem cells. When the fat is injected into the patient’s face, the fat not only is a perfect long term alternative to dermal fillers, but it also contains the stem cells which trigger collagen growth and overall regenerative benefits which improve healing of the face and reduce the percentage of fat which is reabsorbed back into your body. This translates to more fat remaining in those injected areas and longer lasting improvement to those areas. The stem cells are also known to produce a very healthy, vibrant glow to the face as it tends to promote and boost overall rejuvenation of the underlying tissues as well as your skin.
Facial Autologous Muscular Injection (FAMI)
FAMI refers to the surgical procedure in which fat is removed from the patient (a common area for extraction is the abdomen), the fat is processed and then injected with small cannula’s into the patient’s face. Common areas to inject are those which are exhibiting loss of volume, deep wrinkles or hollowness.
Facial areas where fat transfer is typically used:
- Cheeks
- Temples
- Nasolabial Folds
- Lips
- Chin
- Jawline
- Eyes (under or around)
Fat Transfer to face
The surgery usually begins with a small amount of liposuction. The fat cells are sucked out of a body area, such as the thighs, abdomen, buttocks and hip area. The cells are then processed to eliminate the broken fat cells, connective tissue and red blood cells. The remaining fat cells are buttery yellow and are loaded into a syringe, and strategically placed to rejuvinate and fill the face to make a younger, healthier look.
In fat transfer combined with face lift, many small boluses of fat are placed in several areas of the cheeks or other parts of the face that need it until the areas are plumped out and look good. The fat transfer will fill the face in select places, however recovery will vary from person to person. Some people will require some retouching and addition to the face in a later procedure.
