While fat is unwanted in most parts of the body, facial fat is another story. Having full cheeks and lips is widely considered attractive. Alas, the “baby fat” you enjoyed in the first few decades of your life does not last forever. Aging causes the face to lose volume and the fat to sag lower in the face.
The outstanding facial plastic surgeons at Facial Aesthetic Concepts have a solution for patients who want to restore volume to their faces. Dr. Richard Gangnes and Dr. Bryan Brandon perform fat transfer to plump the face. The procedure involves harvesting fat cells from another part of the patient’s own body where it is in surplus (usually the abdomen or thighs) and injecting it to a new site that could benefit from some additional fat. Three areas that can especially benefit from fat transfer are:
Cheeks
As you age, the pads of fat that give your cheeks their fullness lose their volume. When the body naturally decreases its collagen production, your skin becomes less elastic, allowing the existing fat to droop and wrinkles to form. Fat transfer addresses sunken cheeks by inserting fat specifically where you want it to be. The fat can be molded into a rounded shape to rejuvenate the face and smooth out unwanted lines and wrinkles.
Underneath the Eyes
The tear troughs or “bags” that form beneath the eyes age the face and leave you looking more tired. The loss of volume in this area can also cause the eyes to look as though they have sunk deeper in their sockets. When fat is transferred to these hollows, it refreshes the face. You look younger and more alert without these bags.
Lips
It is trendy for young adults to augment their lips with cosmetic procedures to make them appear plumper and more kissable, but some older adults simply seek to recapture the former size of their lips. With age, lips can become thinner: the natural loss of bone density provides less support to the lips, causing them to gradually roll inward.
Whether you want your lips to be as big as before or bigger than ever, fat transfer is a good solution. While dermal fillers remain the more popular option, patients who choose fat transfer love that the results last years longer than hyaluronic acid can offer. They also often find that fat grafting gives their lips a more appealing shape.
Contact the Experts
The surgeons at Facial Aesthetic Concepts have safely achieved attractive, youthful results on behalf of their facial fat transfer patients. If you would like to speak about fat transfer with Dr. Gangnes or Dr. Brandon at our San Clemente, Aliso Viejo or Rancho Santa Margarita, CA offices, please request a consultation today. Call (949) 313-2600.