FAT TRANSFER

There is a great deal of excitement about the practice of removing one’s own fat via liposuction and re-injecting it into wrinkles, depressions, cheeks, lips and other facial areas to restore youthful volume to one’s face.  For those patients who need a large amount of volume replacement, fat may be the perfect alternative.

Dr. Fedok has found that fat transfer is a valuable technique to enhance the results of a facelift ensuring a natural look instead of a “pulled” look.  Fat injection provides a good remedy for aging changes around the eyes, temples, jawline, cheeks and brow.  Fat can also provide a long-lasting fullness to the lips that has some advantages compared to off-the-shelf fillers.  Fat transfer benefits patients in other ways than just the simple replacement of volume.  The associated adipose-derived stem cells impart other favorable effects to the local tissues such as an observed improvement in one’s complexion.  The best places to harvest fat for reinjection is believed to be the belly, “love handles” and thigh areas.  If, however, one is having fat removed from under the chin and neck area, that fat might also be used.

Dr. Fedok has performed fat transfer since 1990 and has lectured and published on the benefits of fat transfer.  While the fate of reinjected fat was somewhat controversial early on, time has shown that it can be an extremely popular alternative “filler” for many patients.  In healthy patients, at least 50-75% of the injected fat appears to be retained.

See the results of fat transfer in facelift  patients and in other procedures.