WHO COULD BENEFIT?
Women or men who have dark circles under their eyes due to loss of subcutaneous fat, descent of the cheek fat, and/or bulging lower eyelid bags.Individuals who desire augmentation of their lips, cheeks and/or other parts of the face
THE GOALS:
Improvement in facial contour.A more youthful appearance.
Plumper, youthful lips
THE PROCEDURE:
We usually perform this procedure on an outpatient basis.When performing this procedure, we prefer general anesthesia, heavy IV sedation or regional blocks. The problem with local injections of anesthesia alone is that numbing the tissues by injecting them directly tends to distort the tissue. This renders it difficult to make judgments with regard to the amount of fat to inject.
First, we extract the fat from the belly or thigh or any part of the body with excess fat and easy access. We extract the fat by performing liposuction.
Next, we process the fat in order to maximize the amount that "takes."
Lastly, we inject the fat through tiny cannulas (hollow metal tubes).
POST-OP RECOVERY:
The patient goes home with the compression garment or ace bandage(s) over the fat donor site. The injection site usually goes uncovered.Initial discomfort is controlled with oral medication.
Bruising and swelling usually subside in 2-4 weeks.
It is believed that over the long term, at least 25% of the injected fat will be resorbed by the body. Many patients who undergo fat grafting return for refresher treatment.
OTHER POSSIBILITIES:
Juvederm, Radiesse or Sculpra injections are simple alternative that do not even involve fat. Instead the injected material is synthetic.INSURANCE?
This procedure is considered cosmetic and therefore is not covered by insurance. The patient is responsible for payment.NOTE:
The suitability of fat injections for an individual is determined during the office consultation. All procedures have some risks. Minor complications do occur occasionally. Major complications are quite rare.BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES:
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