Will Renuva replace facial fat transfers and will there be less recovery with Renuva?

Renuva is an allograft, which means it is prepared from tissue donated by another person, and there are no live cells in the product, thus it is not the same thing as getting an autologous fat transfer which transplants live fat cell from one area of your body to another. This is not to say that Renuva is not a great option for people who are not able to use their own fat. Some people have so little body fat that it is impossible to use their own fat. If you are looking for volume, nothing beats a live fat transfer. If you you are looking for some rejuvenation of the skin and modest plumping of the skin, an off the shelf product like Renuva is easy to use and can be performed by doctors who are not comfortable with harvesting fat. You can also create a product like Renuva with autologous fat by using the ALMI nano fat  technique. Given a choice, I would always go with your own fat over using someone else's. 

It's best to consult with a medical aesthetic injector, who has experience with Renuva, about your jawline goals – to help determine if Renuva is the best option for you.

Thanks for writing,As other have said, this is an off the shelf alternative to fat grafting. I would only suggest there has not been a lot of long term data (years) to give you an idea of risks, benefits, and effectiveness. Never be the first one to do anything, but don’t be the last either.Stephen M. Davis, MD, FACS
Certified: American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member: American Society for Aesthetics Plastic Surgery
Member: American Society of Plastic Surgeons
Member: RealSelf Hall of Fame 
VERIFIED: Plastic Surgeon 

 This is a great question. In general, use of one’s own fat is the best for long term volume replacement and retention. Renuva is a recently FDA approved grafting material that is taken from donor cadavers. The fat is then processed so that it will not be seen as foreign by your body, and the structural cells are replaced into the recipient patient. Renuva relies on your own bodies’ ability to replace fat into the injected structural, or matrix, material. I think Renuva is a great alternative for patients who are too thin to use their own fat, or patients that only need a small amount of fat. Like those that need ~5cc to improve the look of cellulite in the thighs, or small defects in the breast, or adding facial volume. Hope that helps. 

Interesting question. I have use Renuva quite a bit now. It has different healing vs fat grafting. With fat grafting you see immediate results, less time to see final result from under weeks to months with Renuva. Also the fat grafting can be expensive but not as compared to amounts to purchase Renuva to attain similar results. Both are wonderful options to have. Also might consider combining both....

Yes! Renuva is an off-the-shelf treatment and great alternative to small volume fat grafting. Since Renuva is non-surgical and non-invasive, there is no need for anesthesia and there's no downtime either. I use Renuva to restore age-related facial volume loss and have achieved beautiful results for my patients. Since Renuva is eventually eliminated by the body, and replaced with the body's own fat cells, the results are very natural-looking. The final appearance is achieved with the body's own new fat cells growing where Renuva was injected.

Dear Ash,Great question.Renuva is a fat matrix product, that you can by off the self. It is essentially made from other people’s fat. Renuva can be used for fat transfer to fill dimples and smaller divots. It was created for people who don’t want to do Liposuction/ Liposculpting and Fat Transfer from their own fat.Larger volume fat transfer will be more cost effective with your own fat.Choose an expert.Best. Dr Brecht Seattle, Wa