48 Y/O- Rapid weight loss, face sunken and wrinkly. What procedure will make me look less sunken/aged? (Photos)

Question

Hi, 48 years old female. Went into menopause last August and suffered through a rapid weight loss of 22 lbs in 8 weeks (couldn't sleep due to hot flashes and night sweats). My face and body just deflated and AGED SO MUCH. While my body (except for my breasts) recovered somewhat, my face did not. Tried with more skin care, facial exercises, microneedling and peels. I now have deep lines all over my face and loose skin. What are my options? Would a fat transfer help or make things worse?

John Michael Thomassen, MD · Answer

I would recommend a mini facelift with fat grafting. This would correct excess perioral skin and neck rhytids as well as improve your midface deflation.

Karthik Ram, MRCS, DNB · Answer

Hello there, 
You facial hollowness can be corrected by fat transfer. May need multiple stages to get fine result. Consult a board certified plastic surgeon for the expert care. Hope this helps. Thanks for your query here.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

I think it’s pretty clear that the underlying problem is volume loss from a reduction in facial fat.

Jumping to the conclusion that restoring the fat with that transfer would be an obvious and appropriate choice may be tempting.

Fat transfer to the face is fickle imprecise and can be quite unforgiving.

There is a substantial learning curve to mastering this procedure that many providers who offer the treatment have not mastered yet.

Fillers on the other hand are precise, predictable and extremely forgiving.

To see what facial volume restoration can do with fillers alone I suggest you look at the website of a provider named David Mabrie, MD in San Francisco. His work is some of the best I’ve ever seen using fillers.

Get a good idea of what he’s able to do then scour your community for other providers who can obtain similar results by having in person consultations and reviewing lots of before and after pictures.

There’s an art to getting quality results. It requires inherent skill, dedication and many years of practice.

Finding the best provider is the key to getting quality results and not having regretful outcomes.

When facial fat grafting turns out different than patients had hoped for it can be very difficult to reverse the procedure or approve upon what was done.

If done correctly it can be a good option and can give permanent improvements.

It is however technically a much more difficult procedure than creating volume with fillers.

There may be other excellent options in regards to facial aesthetics that may be appropriate for someone like you. You may as well have a few consultations with local board-certified plastic surgeons to see what they have to say about surgical and nonsurgical options.

In the end find the right plastic surgeon and everything falls into place.

Being board-certified in plastic surgery and having a general overall good reputation does not mean someone has mastered anyone in particular procedure.

I suggest patients be more selective and consider having more consultations than they think necessary to find the most talented provider in their community.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom MD

48 Y/O- Rapid weight loss, face sunken and wrinkly. What procedure will make me look less sunken/aged? (Photos)

Answers (3)

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Everything you need to know about Facial Fat Transfer

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.

48 Y/O- Rapid weight loss, face sunken and wrinkly. What procedure will make me look less sunken/aged? (Photos)

Answers (3)

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Facial Fat Transfer

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.