Facial lipofilling
Revive your face
There are many indications to use your own fat to augment or replenish certain areas of your face. Volume loss due to ageing is one of them. Especially in the central part of the face, we tend to loose volume when we get older. Take a closer look at a picture of yourself in your twenties. You might see that you had fuller cheekbones, filled brows, less marked nasolabial folds and flatter temples. Using your own fat to restore this volume loss can generate excellent outcomes and long-term results, while maintaining a natural appearance.
In other instances, you may wish to accentuate certain parts of your face and add a little extra volume to your lips or cheekbones, for example. These zones can of course be treated with dermal filler injections. However, fat has the main advantage that it gives you a long-term result. That does not mean that one is superior to the other. They each have their advantages and disadvantages. Depending on your preferences and the clinical investigation, together we make the best choice with the best results.
The essentials
Facial lipofilling is a minimally invasive procedure to restore the volume loss of the face through fat injections in the areas where volume is lost.
It is the best option for a full face treatment where you want to treat multiple zones and keep a natural, long-lasting result.
It is a completely scar-less treatment as the fat is harvested through one 3mm incision and is injected through a needle puncture hole.
The procedure can be done under local or general anaesthesia, depending on the amount of work and your preference.
Facial lipofilling is an alternative to dermal filler injections. Both have there advantages and disadvantages, which we will discuss on the consultation.
Consider a downtime of 1 week with no dressings. Avoid physical activity for 4 weeks.
Respect the recovery time well and you will profit from the transformation for the rest of your life.
What is facial lipofilling ?
Lipofilling is a 3-stage procedure: first, I harvest the fat from a certain body part. Most of the time, the abdomen and/or flanks are used as these provide enough fat for a facial lipofilling procedure. As the required volume of fat for the face is limited, fat harvesting can be done under local anaesthesia if you prefer. Once harvested, I have to prepare the fat. This is done through a combination of fat washing (to clean it from blood and fibrous tissue), decantation (to separate it from the fluid part), and filtering (to only use the smallest fat particles). The type of fat that is used in the face is called "microfat" and "nanofat". This refers to the size of the fat particles that are injected. As I use very small amounts in the face, I prefer using smaller fat particles. These give more predictable results, less swelling, and smoother contours. In the final stage, the I inject the fat into the areas that need to be replenished or accentuated. I use a very small needle to create a puncture hole, through which I guide a thin cannula and deliver the fat exactly where it needs to be. Fat injections can also be done under local anaesthesia, where I numb the areas that need to be treated beforehand. The improve your skin elasticity and skin texture, we can combine this with micro-needling for a stimulating effect on your skin.
The magical thing about this whole procedure, is that it is as good as scarless. The only scar you will have is the incision of the fat harvesting, which is most of the time just 1 small incision of 3 millimeters. The puncture holes in the face heal without any scarring. There might be a bit of bruising and swelling, but that usually resolves within 1 to 2 weeks. Dressings are almost non-existent in this type of procedure.
When we age, we loose volume in different areas of the face, such as the brows, temples, cheekbones, cheek and lips.
Facial lipofilling is a minimally invasive procedure to restore the volume loss of the face through guided fat injections in the areas where volume is lost.
What are the benefits facial lipofilling ?
Whether it would be to restore volume loss in an ageing face or to accentuate certain facial features, using your own fat has several benefits:
Restoration of a fresh, youthful facial expression, while still maintaining a natural result
Natural augmentation of facial features, such as lips or cheekbones
Long-lasting results
Everybody has enough fat to perform a facial lipofilling, even the thinnest patient
No scars in the face
Can be combined with facial surgery
Can be combined with micro-needling for an increased effect on skin elasticity and texture
Light, easy dressings
Minimal downtime
Are you a good candidate for facial lipofilling ?
Depending on your wishes and expectations, several reasons for facial lipofilling exist. Whether it be for volume restoration or volume enhancement, a good indication can be found in almost every patient. You may consider facial fat injections in case of:
Severe volume loss in the central part of the face with a possible tired or depressed appearance
Wrinkly, thinned skin with a loss of elasticity
Hollowed temples
Deep nasolabial folds that disturb your natural smiling
Fairly thin lips with little mucosal show
Fairly flat cheekbones that may benefit from a natural enhanced definition and projection
Wish for long-lasting results without the need to repeat the procedure
During the consultation, we will do a thorough analysis of your face together. You need to point out the areas that disturb you and I will explain to you how we can improve them. In case that lipofilling is the best option, I will explain to you why that is. If I would be of the opinion that some other treatments may be better (such as dermal filler injections), I will also explain to you why and what the options are. You can always expect a clear level of communication where I will explain the advantages and disadvantages of every possible treatment.
If you recognise some of these signs and concerns, I recommend you to plan a consultation in order to see how we can improve your overall facial aesthetics and bring a positive impact to your life.
