Enhance Your Facelift With Fat Grafting
The facelift surgery is an effective way to improve your facial contour and reverse years of aging at the same time. Yet sometimes more is needed. In addition to wrinkles and sagging skin, some patients experience volume loss from areas of the face, leaving them with a sunken or hollow look to the cheeks or forehead, for example. While some fat cells can be redistributed during the facelift procedure, there is no way to increase volume that doesn’t exist. For this reason, many plastic surgeons turn to fat grafting, also known as fat transfer or fat injections, to achieve a complete facial rejuvenation.
What Is a Fat Graft?
The fat grafting process can create a more natural and long-lasting youthfulness to your face, especially when used in tandem with a facial surgery. Although it can be performed as a stand-alone procedure, many patients add fat grafting onto another surgery for convenience and an improved overall effect. This unique treatment does not involve injecting artificial gels or implants under the skin; instead, fat grafting is the transfer of stored fat from one part of the body to another, usually the face or hands.
There are many benefits to the fat grafting procedure especially that it is both minimally invasive and poses a low rate of risks. The procedure is also fairly simple to perform, beginning with either local or general anesthesia depending on the circumstances. The surgeon then harvests the required fat cells from another part of the body, typically the abdomen, buttocks, or hips. Using a centrifuge, the fat cells are spun to remove impurities and be prepared for transfer. Once it has been completely purified, the fat is then injected into the targeted treatment area, which may include the brow, lower eyelid, cheek, chin, lips, or hands. Some fat grafting procedures may also involve adding volume to the breasts and buttocks, revising scars, and correcting contour irregularities elsewhere.
How Do Fat Grafts Enhance a Facelift?
A facelift surgery offers patients a way to achieve a more youthful appearance, sometimes taking off up to 10 years. This procedure can diminish fine lines and wrinkles, eliminate deep creases, and remove inelastic and sagging skin, all the results of gravity and age. During the aging process, it is also typical to see fat cells shifting downward, from areas like the forehead downward to the jaw. The effect leaves the face looking heavy and unbalanced, often with exaggerated creases and lines around the jaw and neck.
When you sit down for your one-on-one facelift consultation, your plastic surgeon will spend time examining the features of your face and the effects the aging process has created. As a plan is made for your surgery, he will evaluate which areas need volume and whether redistributing the fat cells collecting in the lower portion of your face can help restore areas like the cheeks and brows. When it comes time for your facelift procedure, the surgeon will address your concerns by manipulating your skin, facial muscles, and fat cells as needed. If he or she determines that the contour of your face is unbalanced and additional volume is needed, the surgeon will recommend a fat grafting procedure in addition to your facelift. Doing so can help you achieve the overall youthful look that you desire, without adding any extra recovery time or significant discomfort to your healing process.
Why Not Wait for a Fat Grafting?
If you’ve been considering a fat grafting as an add-on to your facelift or any other facial rejuvenation procedure, ask your plastic surgeon about the procedure. He or she will be able to give you a clear and well-informed opinion on whether or not you’ll need this helpful volume boost to get your optimal results. It’s important to discuss all of these options with your surgeon beforehand so you can plan a complete procedure that addresses all of your concerns. After all, you don’t want to have to book a follow-up procedure as soon as you heal from your primary surgery. Save yourself the time, effort, and recovery by planning for everything you need in one trip. Depending on you surgeon, it may even save you on cost to plan two procedures in one.
Who Can Perform My Fat Grafting Procedure?
Begin the process of adding fat grafting to your personal surgical plan by consulting with the right plastic surgeon for the job. Frederick G. Weniger, M.D., F.A.C.S. provides his patients with years of experience and knowledge during one-on-one consultations regarding the surgeries and nonsurgical treatments available at their practice. And for the month of July, Weniger Plastic Surgery is offering a fat-grafting special: $500 off the procedure by both providers.
Dr. Weniger is board certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery and a member of The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. He believes good information lies at the heart of success with all of his surgeries and interactions with patients.
To schedule a consultation for any aesthetic surface or other procedures, contact the office of Weniger Plastic Surgery today at (843) 757-0123. They are located at 350 Fording Island Road, Suite 200, in Bluffton, South Carolina.