ALMI: What You Need to Know
Pros & cons
How it works
How long results last
Fast facts
ALMI (autologous lipocyte micronized injection) is a type of fat grafting procedure that restores volume to the face. A provider extracts fat from one area of the body—such as the hips, thighs, or abdomen—and processes it through a centrifuge before injecting it into areas that have lost volume.
Also known as nano fat grafting, the ALMI procedure transfers more than just fat cells. Unlike traditional facial fat transfer, “ALMI also brings progenitor cells [similar to stem cells] to the area, to help with skin rejuvenation,” says Austin, Texas, plastic surgeon Dr. Dustin Reid.
These regenerative cells and growth factors from your own tissues increase the viability and longevity of the grafted fat and provide skin rejuvenating benefits, including:
- Counteracting volume loss, which provides more structural support for tissues that are starting to sag
- Boosting elasticity and collagen production
- Regenerating capillaries to boost your skin’s blood circulation
- Increasing moistureÂ
- Improving the appearance of sun spots and uneven skin tone
RealSelf Tip: The ALMI procedure can be done alone or combined with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, to further boost cell renewal. It’s increasingly done on the scalp, to counteract hair loss and stimulate hair restoration. The ALMI ManShot can be used for penile enhancement (it’s similar to the P-Shot), while the ALMI FemShot is a vaginal rejuvenation option (similar to the O-Shot).
Pros
- Because fat grafting uses fat from your own body, there’s minimal risk of allergy or reaction.Â
- It offers both an immediate volume increase and lasting facial rejuvenation benefits through regenerative cells, to reduce signs of aging.
- It can be customized with growth factors, PRP, and other ingredients to regenerate follicles and promote hair regrowth.Â
Cons
- It costs more and takes more time than a typical injectable filler. Â
- It does involve liposuction, a type of plastic surgery, which makes it a more invasive procedure than dermal fillers.Â
- You’ll need excess fat to harvest for the transfer.
ALMI works similarly to other fat grafting techniques. It's also an outpatient procedure that should take no more than an hour.Â
- First, you’ll be given local anesthesia and oral sedation. Then fat is harvested via liposuction, usually from the thigh or abdomen. Your surgeon inserts a cannula (a thin, hollow tube) through a small incision and sucks out the fat with the attached vacuum.Â
- The fat cells are filtered to remove impurities, and then it’s “micronized.” This is where ALMI departs from the traditional fat grafting process. “The beauty of the ALMI technique is that the fat can be processed to create what we call structural fat, which are intact fat cells that can be transferred from one area to another and provide volume,” says Oakland, New Jersey, physician Dr. Hung William Song. “We can also process it in a way that the growth factors and regenerative components can be extracted and injected to cause a very nice skin rejuvenation.”Â
- The final step is the injection. You’ll be numbed with a local anesthetic, and your doctor will insert a small cannula into the treatment area, using the fat as an injectable filler. Â
If you elect to have PRP added to your ALMI procedure, you’ll also have a small amount of your blood drawn, processed to separate out the platelet-rich plasma, and injected into the same areas.
There's little to no downtime involved after the ALMI procedure, and side effects are similar to those of injectables (think temporary bruising and swelling). You’ll see increased volume immediately, but skin rejuvenation results will develop over a few months, while your cells respond to the injected growth factors and start to regenerate.
The results of an ALMI procedure can last about two years, though longevity varies.
“We typically refer to ALMI transfer as semipermanent, as the results peak several months after your initial treatment, but we cannot stop the hands of time from ticking,” says Liberty Township, Ohio, dermatologist Dr. Scott Grevey. “There are other factors to consider, such as weight loss and gain over time, that may affect your result.”
Updated June 13, 2023