Facial Fat Transfer Techniques

As we age, our cheeks, lips, jawline and chin often lose the fullness and elasticity of youth. It happens as a result of diminished collagen in the skin, as well as the tendency of facial fat to become depleted.

Dr. Carlos Chacon of San Diego’s Divino Plastic Surgery offers a state-of-the-art facial microfat transfer procedure to restore the fresh, optimistic facial appearance of years past. He uses your own fat cells from other areas of the body and injects small amounts of these cells under the skin in facial areas that appear gaunt or hollow.

Microfat Innovations

Although facial fat transfers have been performed for many years, today’s technique is far more advanced than the procedures done decades ago. Those fat transfers sometimes created lumps and puffiness in the face. That is because the amount and type of fat used, along with the inexactitude of surgical instruments, made precise targeting of facial areas difficult.

Now skilled plastic surgeons such as Dr. Chacon use “microfat,” a small-particle version of your body’s natural fat. Cells are prepared using special devices that filter and break down the fat that has been harvested from elsewhere in the body, using a liposuction technique.

Unlike temporary dermal fillers, fat cells become an integral part of your subdermal face. After all, they’re already home. As long as they have access to the blood supply, these living cells will thrive wherever they have been placed.

Depending on a number of factors, approximately one third of fat cells will be absorbed by the body after the microfat transfer procedure; the others will accommodate themselves to their new location perfectly, and become permanent fillers in the target areas. Based on your reabsorption rate, you may require a follow-up session in six months to fine-tune your new, rejuvenated look.

Any part of your face that has lost volume is an excellent target area. That includes your lips, cheeks, brow, jawline, temples, smile lines around the mouth, crow’s feet and the orbital area under the eyes that often takes on a dark and hollow appearance with age. Some patients even choose microfat injections to enhance earlobes, hands or décolletage.

To learn more about facial fat transfer, schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Carlos Chacon at his San Diego-area office in Bonita by contacting Divino Plastic Surgery today.