Do Fat Injections Work As a Facelift?

I am a 48 year old woman and I am starting to get the droop on my cheeks. I do not wish to have surgery. I have had Scuptra, Juverderm and Radiesse injections and all have helped, none are permanent. I have been hearing that fat can be injected to lift the cheeks and that this is permanent. Of course, I understand that this would have to be performed by a board certified plastic surgeon. If this true, can you recommend the best plastic surgeon to do this Los Angeles?

Tags:

Comment on this

8 Doctor Answers | Asked by 1896anon in Los Angeles

Doctor Answers (8)
Community Comments (0)

Facial Fat Injections for Face Lift Results

Some plastic surgeons use fat injections in combination with face lift surgery, while others use fat injections alone. Cosmetic facial treatment is largely based on the specialty of the physician and specific needs of the patient. While beneficial, fat injections have some disadvantages too. Down sides of fat augmentation include feeling lumps & bumps where fat is injected and requiring repeat treatments. Another alternative to fat transfer to the middle face includes silicone... more

Fat transfer results depend on your face

I have been doing fat transfers to the face for over 7 years. Patients who have a lot of thinning but good skin tone may get by with fat grafting alone to rejuvenate them. Patients who have thinning and a lot of skin aging as well as laxity of the tissues will typically not get as much improvement with the fat. The simple way to view this is: fat is great at treating the thinning problem, not great at treating sagging due to skin and facial laxity.

Ivan Wayne, MD

13 reviews

Oklahoma City Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.oumedicine.com

Fat injections for facial filling

Fat injections have been used for many years, with improvements in techniques allowing the fat to be injected as smaller doses per area, leaving a smoother result and a better chance for survival. Although it is not guaranteed to survive, fat injections do have a chance to provide long term survival as it is a graft and the cells can live in their new area. Both dermatologic and plastic surgeons are known nationally to provide excellent pan facial augmentation with fat... more

Fat Transfer

Fat transfer to the face when done right and in the right patient is sometimes superior in results to face lifts. I tell patients What I have achieved with fat transfer to the face is better than the results of a face lift. Need to choose the right patient candidate, moat important do your home work to chose an experienced Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. There can be bad results as well and those are moch more difficult to repair and more expensive to repair

In mild Facial aging, Fat Grafting CAN act as well as a Facelift

Facial aging is the result of several processes which act together at different speeds to bring about the collective spectrum of appearances we associate with aging. Our cheek and mandible bones reabsorb and thin out making the overlying skin now appear like a table cloth which has been placed on a smaller table. Attachments of the facial skin along certain parts of the skull thin out causing facial sagging along specific points causing the familiar deepening of the lower lid cheek... more

Fat injection to the face vs alternatives

It sounds as if you have had many temporary fillers and some semipermanent fillers. Our philosophy about fat injections is that fat that is used for fat injection is first obtained by a suction process. This damages the cell walls of many of the fat cells. The fat is usually centrifiged at high speed and then injected through a needle. It is no wonder that most of the cells that are injected are already dead when they are injected. The viability of fat injection... more

The Liquid Facelift is the way of the future

Fat is the oldest filler ever used. The main problem with it is that it is unpredictable. It requires multiple sessions and if it stays can last forever, making the natural aging process appear less natural. The current trend is to use filler material that is synthesized using strict production codes, such as hyaluronic acid or calcium hydroxylapatite or even poly-L-lactic acid. The concept of facelift has also changed with many practitioners realizing that there is a need for... more

Facial fat grafting

There are three issues which must be addressed in the aging face. Facial structure, volume and skin quality. Surgical facelifts can restore tissue to there appropriate positions and remove lax inelastic skin. Volume can be replaced with fillers or your own fat and the skin can be addressed by skin care, peels or laser. You may not need to have all three to rejuvenate your face but your surgeon wil be able to advise you at your consultation. Good luck.