Fat Injections - The New Trend In Facial Plastic Surgery

Main Category: Cosmetic Medicine / Plastic Surgery
Also Included In: Dermatology
Article Date: 24 Jul 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Dr. Michael Law, a board certified plastic surgeon in Raleigh, North Carolina, sees patients from all parts of the world seeking natural looking plastic surgery. "Fat grafting has changed the results of facial plastic surgery dramatically. Traditional facelifts simply do not provide the natural result of microfat grafting," says Dr. Law.

Fat grafting has been performed by plastic surgeons for decades. There is no question that fat is the ideal material for soft tissue augmentation, and that the results obtained with fat grafting are the most natural-appearing. However, one problem with this procedure in years past has been resorption (breakdown) of the grafted fat, so that the resulting improvement is not permanent. The grafted fat must gain its own blood supply in its new location in order to persist long-term, and this generally is not possible when large amounts are injected at once and when specialized instrumentation and techniques are not employed.

A relatively new technique has been developed called structural fat grafting, lipostructure, or microfat grafting, in which small amounts (less than 0.1 cc at a time) of fat are carefully microinjected in a series of discrete layers to gradually 'build' new soft tissue structure. As there is space between each microinjection, new blood vessels are able to grow into the grafted fat, allowing it to persist.

This is a procedure that requires specialized training and specialized surgical instruments, as well as patience and attention to detail on the part of the surgeon. When lipostructure or microfat grafting is performed properly, permanent improvements in facial plastic surgery are possible.

Structural fat grafting can be performed on eyelid hollows, to fill sunken cheeks, for filling sunken tear troughs under the eyes and is often used for blepharoplasty correction when too much skin and or fat has been removed in an eyelid surgical procedure. Some people who have experienced fat loss as a result of procedures such as IPL or Thermage can also benefit greatly from permanent fat injections.

Michael Law MD (Aesthetic Plastic Surgery)
www.michaellawmd.com