Thanks for your question. As you know injectables like Restylane and Juvederm are temporary fillers that the body resorbs over time. Fat transfer is a permanent way to perform the same job that the temporary fillers do. Fat transfer can be a good second operation for patients that have had fillers and liked the effect.
The concept is to remove fat from a less desirable area (usually the abdomen or flanks) using liposuction and transfer it to an area that needs it - in your case the nasolabial folds - using lipoinjection.
Challenges to the procedure include getting the fat to survive, not over or under correcting and creating a smooth contour. Make sure you find a board certified plastic surgeon who has experience with this technique as there is a significant learning curve to produce good results, especially in the nasolabial folds. I hope this helps.
Steven Williams, MD
