As you get older, you might notice some troubling signs of aging. Qualified cosmetic surgeons like Dr. Jeffrey Schmidt have developed an arsenal of remedies to help restore your youth and self-confidence. One of these solutions is facial fat grafting, which can leave you with a subtly refreshed appearance.
How Does Fat Grafting Work?
At its core, fat grafting is a straightforward surgical procedure to understand. In performing an autologous fat transfer, Dr. Schmidt will remove fat from a donor area of your body—such as your belly, thighs, hips, or buttocks—and insert it into the spots where you desire more fullness and contour. These might include your lips, cheeks, tear troughs, temples, or around your mouth. You may also wish to use your body fat to fill in facial scars, such as the pockmarks left from acne.
While you might never have considered using your body fat to enhance your appearance, this simple surgery has wide-ranging benefits.
1. It Helps Turn Back the Clock
Fat has a frustrating tendency to accumulate in undesirable areas, and using this exercise-resistant fat to enhance your face can give you a youthfully refreshed appearance. Depleted facial volume is a hallmark of the aging process, as the skin loses its elasticity and fat pads shift downward due to gravity. As a result, a hollowed or gaunt appearance is a common aesthetic concern as people get older.
For instance, you may notice dark circles under your eyes, pronounced lines bracketing your mouth, and thinner, flatter cheeks and lips. These issues can combine to make you look fatigued and older than your true age. Fat grafting can be an ideal solution to help you achieve your aesthetic goals and help you appear as vital on the outside as you feel on the inside.
2. It Provides Long-Lasting Results
You’ve probably heard of hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers. But while injectables can provide nearly instantaneous results, your body will gradually metabolize and absorb these substances as time goes by. To maintain your look, you’ll need to return for periodic maintenance treatments, the cost of which can start to add up.
In contrast, facial fat grafting produces permanent volume in the treated areas. When you use your natural fat, the fat cells in the donor area will continue to grow and thrive like they would have before the transfer.
3. It’s Extremely Safe
While allergic reactions to synthetic dermal fillers are rare, there is some risk associated with having them injected into your body. The use of your body fat to fill, shape, and contour your face eliminates this danger because there’s no chance of your immune system recognizing it as a foreign substance.
Dr. Schmidt also maximizes safety with fat grafting by using the Puregraft process to remove contaminants from the donor fat before injecting it into your desired areas. These impurities could otherwise hinder the grafted fat cells’ growth.
While there is a recovery period associated with autologous fat transfer, you should be able to resume your usual daily activities within 10 days to two weeks of your procedure. Typical side effects are mild and include minor bruising, discomfort, and swelling around the donor and target areas.
Schedule Your Fat Grafting Consultation in Denver
If you’d like to learn whether you’re a good candidate for facial fat transfer and other procedures that can take years off your appearance, contact our office today. We offer concierge-level service and uphold the highest standards for patient safety when performing cosmetic procedures.
