It happens to all of us: one day, we look in the mirror and notice new wrinkles and sagging we could swear weren’t there the day before. Time takes a toll on all of us, but advancements in cosmetic medicine have given us new weapons in the battle against aging. If you’d like to restore your youthful appearance, Schmidt Facial Plastic Surgery offers both fat grafting and high-quality facial fillers to add volume, minimize fine lines, and bring out your natural beauty.
What Is Facial Fat Grafting?
Have you started to notice that significant volume loss is making your face look gaunt or hollow? This phenomenon occurs due to a gradual loss of the fat pads under your skin that occurs naturally as you age.
To get a better idea of how fat grafting works, think of blowing up a balloon. When you fill a balloon with air, you create a smooth surface. But when you let the air out of the balloon, it becomes more lax and wrinkled. Fat grafting is a procedure that “inflates” your skin with body fat.
To begin the fat grafting procedure, Dr. Schmidt removes a small amount of fat from donor areas such as your tummy or thighs. Then, he purifies the harvested fat using a cutting-edge filtration technique called Puregraft, which removes more contaminants than traditional purification methods. This gold standard approach to preparing the fat for transfer ensures fewer risks, quicker healing, and better results.
Dr. Schmidt will inject the purified fat into specific areas where you have experienced volume loss, such as your temples, nose, cheeks, chin, around the eyes, or around the mouth. Since fat grafting is such a customizable procedure, Dr. Schmidt will use this technique in precise locations and volumes to give you the ideal look for your facial anatomy.
What to Expect From Your Facial Fat Grafting Treatment
The results of fat grafting are typically long-lasting, and many patients only need one treatment session to achieve their cosmetic goals. After a fat grafting procedure, typical side effects include bruising, soreness, and swelling around both the donor and recipient sites. Most patients find these symptoms easy to manage with over-the-counter remedies such as ice packs. The usual downtime is between 10 and 14 days, which varies by patient.
Advantages of facial fat grafting include:
- Noticeable, natural-looking volume restoration
- Results can last for many years without the need for maintenance treatments
- Improved contouring and skin texture
- The Puregrafting technique can lead to fewer complications during and after the procedure
- Tailored treatment to meet your needs
What Are Dermal Fillers?
Injectable fillers, such as Juvéderm®, Belotero, and Radiesse®, consist of a naturally hydrating biocompatible substance called hyaluronic acid. Injecting precise amounts of these fillers in your mid-face and around your mouth will create volume, improve contouring, and fill in wrinkles by jump-starting collagen production.
All three of these fillers are gel-based formulas that vary in thickness. Depending on your goals, Dr. Schmidt can use fillers individually or in combination with each other to create volume, contour areas such as your cheeks and lips, and fill in moderate to deep wrinkles such as the smile lines around your mouth.
What to Expect After Getting Dermal Fillers
As we age, our bodies slow the production of a protein called collagen, which acts as the “scaffolding” of your skin. This gradual collagen loss is why you develop wrinkles and experience sagging. One benefit of fillers is that they help your skin revitalize itself by restarting the production of collagen. Though you will notice an immediate improvement after your procedure, the fillers continue working after injection to create results that can last up to two years, in some cases.
Since the fillers consist of a biocompatible material, the side effects are minimal and usually resolve on their own. Minor bruising, tenderness, itching, and soreness around the injection sites are the most common symptoms that you may experience. There are no recovery days, stitches, or scarring associated with the use of fillers, which makes them ideal for busy patients who want to look younger without surgery.
Benefits of facial fillers include:
- Significant wrinkle reduction and volume improvement, especially in the cheeks and lips
- No healing time
- A minimally-invasive option that creates excellent results
Which Treatment Is Right for You?
If you’re weighing the pros and cons of these two facial rejuvenation options, Dr. Schmidt can help you decide which treatment to choose after meeting you in person, evaluating your degree of aging, and discussing your goals. It’s essential for you to have realistic expectations with any cosmetic procedure, which is why a face-to-face consultation is so valuable. Set yours up today.
