Non-Invasive Fat Transfer Treatment at Profiles
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Fat transfer has quickly become one of the most sought after non-invasive treatments available for facial rejuvenation and the treatment of dark circles and hollows under the eyes. Fat is plentiful, easy to harvest, and it’s your own tissue, so there is no need to worry about having a reaction or excessive swelling.
A few things used to hamper fat transplantation from being accepted as the ideal facial volume replacement:
1. Fat survival was unpredictable, making it hard to know much would last
2. Occasional areas of lumpiness
Fortunately, in an effort to improve predictability of results and remove the chance of lumpiness, Expert Los Angeles Surgeons Dr. Solieman and Dr. Litner of Profiles Beverly Hills have researched and refined the latest techniques in enhancing extraction, handling, processing, and reinjection of the harvested fat. We use a new system known as “water-assisted liposuction” (WAL) that allows us to harvest fat with far less trauma to the fat cells, thus providing for a far better and more permanent result.
Fat Transfer for Treatment of Sunken, Hollow Eyes, Dark Circles and Fine Lines
Fat grafting offers an innovative solution for treating eyelid hollowness that has always been there or was caused by fat loss from prior cosmetic eye surgery, aging or significant weight loss.
The presence of under-eye shadows is a frequent complaint that is commonly seen with aging. This happens from a combination of fat loss around the eye and a sagging of the upper cheek. Sometimes, it is a hereditary finding that we see in many relatively younger patients who have noticed the issue in themselves starting at a fairly young age. By filling the shadow in the tear trough (under the eyes), fat grafting can make an extraordinary difference in rejuvenating the look around the eye.
Fat grafting can also be combined with treatment for other common causes of dark under-eye circles, including excessive skin pigment in this area (melanin). Drs. Solieman and Litner of Profiles Beverly Hills will often prescribe bleaching creams and skin care solutions in a variety of formulations and strengths (some over-the-counter and some only by prescription) which can then be combined with the fat grafting to allow for even more improvement. The removal of the excess skin color is gradual and occurs over several months.
Pros and Cons of Using Fat As Opposed To Temporary Fillers Such as Juvederm, Restylane, or Radiesse
Many of you may be wondering when it makes sense to use temporary fillers as opposed to fat transfer. The answer is largely dependent on your particular goals and the areas you are seeking to improve. In general, if you are seeking a more long term result and more complete volume replacement, then fat transfer is usually cheaper over the long term and gets a fantastic result. In other words, if you are looking to treat the nasolabial folds (laugh lines), dark circles or hollows under the eyes and cheek area, or the marionette lines (downturned smile), fat transfer is really a great option. It is relatively cheaper, especially over the long term since much of it stays and you would generally need many syringes of fillers to accomplish the same goal. The only drawback would be a little more downtime due to swelling and the need for some sedation.
On the other hand, if you are only just starting to see one area- say the laugh lines starting to show or are looking to get lip augmentation- Drs. Litner and Solieman of Profiles Beverly Hills highly recommends going with temporary fillers like Juvederm or Restylane. While the results are not permanent (for the laugh lines you can get correction that lasts about a year while the lips last for 6 months), the correction is very natural and does not require any downtime. Over time, once more is required you can always then get fat transfer when the time is right.
How does Water-Assisted Liposuction (WAL) work?
The “Water-Assisted Liposuction” (WAL) technique allows Top Cosmetic Surgeons Drs. Litner and Solieman to gently dislodge fat clusters and rinse them out of the harvest site using a pressurized water system, while simultaneous low-pressure suction removes the fat, offering smoother results and minimal downtime. The system gently transfers the aspirated fat into a collector, which has a variety of filters to help separate viable fat cells from the surrounding thick, fibrous material that used to be a source of lumpiness. What you’re left with is virtually pure, transferable autologous fat, including everything from stem cells to pre-adipocyte and mature adipocyte populations (mature fat cells) that allows the best chance at long term results.
How is fat transfer by Drs. Litner and Solieman different than other laser assisted or ultrasound assisted fat transfer?
Fat cell clusters have been compared to grapes on a vine. The old technique of suctioning fat cells by hand and processing them by spinning them down in a centrifuge caused excessive trauma to the fat cells, often rupturing many of them and decreasing the number of viable fat cells harvested. Laser- or Ultrasound-assisted techniques use energy to rupture the fat cells, thereby releasing liquid fat for easy aspiration. But, there is often some leftover tissue debris that causes more swelling during the natural healing process. This is a bit like crushing the grapes to make wine. The wine might be sweet but, once used up, it is gone. What the new system allows Drs. Litner and Solieman to do is actually knock the ‘grapes’ off the vine while leaving the surrounding structures intact. A system of filters additionally washes and separates the extracted fat from connective tissue, allowing for smooth lump free injection of virtually pure transferable intact fat cells. These intact cells can gain new blood supply and survive permanently as part of your natural facial fat pads so that the grapes can continue to ‘bear fruit’.
Do cheek fat injections dissolve if you lose weight?
Once the procedure is done, the absolute number of surviving transplanted fat cells should be stable for life. However, if you lose significant weight (more than 20 pounds), or with many years of aging, you will probably find some normal volume loss in this area along with the rest of your face.
Are Fat Transfer Results Permanent?
Fat transfer of viable fat cells from one area of the body to another can result in a permanent change in the new area. When fat is transferred to facial areas such as the cheeks and nasolabial folds (laugh lines), long term rejuvenation can and does occur.
Even with new techniques like our Water-assisted Liposuction, no one should tell you that all of the fat injected will be permanent. However, Expert Surgeons Drs. Litner and Solieman have found under the eyes that well over 70% of the fat survives long term, while in the nasolabial folds the results are closer to 50% because of more muscle activity in this area. The bottom line for our patients is a reliable successful volume enhancement that provides for a smooth and natural rejuvenation around the eyes.