Fat Transfer to Face

What is Fat Transfer to the Face?

Fat transfer or fat injection; It is a treatment that consists of the steps of removing fat from a specific area of the body, processing the extracted fat cells with a centrifuge or filter, and then injecting them into the application area. With facial fat transfer treatment, the skin in the application area is plumped, lifted and smoothed.

Filtered and largely refined, the fat cells help heal and revitalize thin and wrinkled skin, and dark circles under the eyes. Fat is one of the best sources of stem cells for the body. Accordingly, autologous fat transfer is not only a procedure in which fat and growth factors are transferred, but also stands out as an anti-aging treatment with its ability to stimulate collagen production. It provides an advantage in general facial rejuvenation and obtaining a youthful appearance.

The main purpose of the facial fat transfer procedure is to add volume to the area where fat is injected and optimize its appearance. Fats taken from areas where there is excess fat in the person’s body and processed are injected into areas with lack of volume. An excellent soft tissue filler, body fat can also be used to fill areas that have collapsed for any reason.

Although the fat to be used in the fat injection procedure is generally taken from the hip, abdomen, waist and thigh areas, fat can also be taken from different parts of the body that the surgeon deems appropriate.

In Which Situations Is Facial Fat Transfer Performed?

Although the skin is regularly and effectively moisturized, protected from the sun, and various protective measures are taken, natural signs of aging will appear over time. Once the effects of aging are noticed in the facial area, one of the most effective methods that can be applied is fat transfer to the face.

Facial fat transfer procedure can provide beneficial results in cases where deep lines on the face and sagging occur on the cheeks and under the eyes. However, the deep lines that appear due to aging become deeper over time, causing permanent scars and folds on the skin. This negatively affects the effective results of the facial fat transfer procedure. This makes it difficult to get effective results with the facial fat transfer procedure. In this context, the importance of combining facial fat transfer with other subcutaneous supportive applications or procedures becomes evident.

How to Apply Fat Transfer to the Face?

The first step of facial fat transfer treatment is to remove the fat to be injected into the target area from a suitable area on the patient’s body. Although the abdominal area, where fat accumulation is intense, is generally preferred at this stage, fat removal from the waist and hip areas may also be possible. If there is not enough storage in the patient’s body to obtain fat, the use of fat from the arm or leg area may be preferred.

Local anaesthesia is applied to the donor area where the fat will be removed. In order for the fat to be collected more easily, diluted anaesthetic liquids (Tumescent anaesthesia) are injected into the subcutaneous tissue of the donor area. Then, the fat is removed through the cannula using the liposuction method. To separate live fat cells (adipose cells or adipocytes) from fat, other connective tissue materials, excess fluid and dead cells, the harvested fat is transferred to a sterile container and then centrifugation is applied. Washing the harvested fat with a sterile saline solution may be another alternative method. Since the discarded fats are probably fat cells that will not survive in the graft, this process can eliminate the risk of causing problems for good cells.

While proceeding with the fat transfer, which is the second stage of fat injection to the face, local anaesthesia is performed to the application area. In cases where fat injection is performed as part of a face lift or other plastic surgery procedure, general anaesthesia may be applied.

Fat cells harvested from the donor area, purified and made ready for injection are injected in the form of small droplets into the area where volume is desired. This ensures the best possible blood supply to each drop of fat to ensure the survival of each injected fat graft. Since some of the injected fat cells cannot survive after the treatment, more fat is injected than needed.

The fat injection procedure may differ depending on the characteristics of the area to be applied. The nano graft method can be used when injecting fat into areas with very thin skin structure, such as under the eyes. When injecting fat into other areas, micrograft application can be used.

What are the effects of fat transfer to the face?

Fat transfer to the face is among the most frequently applied aesthetic procedures. Aesthetic concerns such as wrinkles, loss of fullness and collapse on the skin that occur over time can be eliminated by fat injection into the face.

Since artificial fillers are not used in the facial fat transfer procedure, there is no risk of allergic reactions. Fat injection adds volume to the applied area. A younger and smoother appearance is achieved without disrupting the natural expression of the face.

Although fat transfer is a procedure that can be applied to different parts of the body, the frequency of its application to the face area is more remarkable. Facial fat injection can be applied to thicken the lips, add definition to the cheekbones, and fill deep wrinkles as much as possible.

The body eliminates some of the fat injected in the facial fat transfer procedure. Therefore, a higher volume of fat is transferred to the targeted area than desired, so that the expected fullness and volume are achieved.

With fat injection to the face, the volume lost due to aging is restored. In addition, fat injection has the effect of encouraging increased collagen production in the body. Fat cells injected into the application area have a stem cell effect and revitalize and rejuvenate the skin.

Who can undergo facial fat transfer?

Fat transfer to the face can be applied to people who have significant collapse in the facial area due to structural reasons or insufficiency of subcutaneous fat tissue over time. In this way, volume can be added to these areas and a more dynamic and youthful appearance can be achieved.

People who are over 18 years of age and have no health problems preventing the facial fat transfer procedure are considered candidates for the procedure. Generally, people who want to highlight the cheekbones, thicken the lips, fill the nasolabial sulci and obtain a more aesthetic appearance in the lower jaw can benefit from the facial fat transfer procedure.

In Which Areas is Facial Fat Transfer Applied?

Fat transfer, also known as lipofilling, is a minimally invasive medical aesthetic procedure performed by removing fat from certain areas of the person’s body and injecting it into the target area in order to add volume to certain areas of the face or restore lost volume. Fat transfer can be performed on the face to restore sunken cheeks, plump thin lips, improve skin depressions, and eliminate deep nasolabial folds (sulci) and Marionette lines.

Forehead Fat Transfer

Fat can be transferred to the forehead area to minimize wrinkles in the area and add volume to the face. An anti-aging effect is also achieved by transferring or grafting the patient’s own fat. For application to be successful, fat must be collected manually and carefully. In this way, the viability of fat cells is higher.

Fat Transfer to Cheekbones

Fat injection can be applied to people who have tissue loss in the cheekbone area due to congenital or trauma-related deformities, or who have a collapsed or sagging appearance due to loss of cheek tissue due to genetic factors or aging.

Fat Transfer to The Nose

Fat injection can be performed into the nose to obtain a stronger and more prominent nose, to eliminate irregularities in appearance, to correct anomalies remaining from previous rhinoplasty procedures, to fill the upper part of the nose that has lost its fullness due to aging, and to correct the edges of the nose that have lost its volume.

Fat Transfer Under Eye

Fat injection can be performed under the eyes to eliminate under-eye problems that occur due to aging and genetic factors and cannot be resolved with skin care applications. Thus, under-eye bags, sagging and dark circles can be eliminated. Additionally, the appearance can be optimized by adding volume to the hollow areas under the eyes.

Fat Transfer to the Chin

Fat injection can be made to the chin area to obtain a symmetrical appearance in the chin. The desired change in small or pointed chins can be achieved with a personalized fat transfer.

Fat Transfer to Lip

Effective results can be achieved with the fat transfer procedure for people who have a naturally thin lip structure or who have lost lip volume due to aging.

The success of the procedure depends on its individual planning and implementation by expert and experienced doctors.

Is Fat Transfer to the Face Permanent?

In the facial fat injection procedure, it cannot be predicted how much of the fat to be transferred will be eliminated by the body and how much of it will remain permanent in the targeted area. Since not all transferred fat cells will have the chance to survive in the target area, dead fat cells are removed from the environment by the body’s defence cells. Thus, a suitable environment is created for healthy fat cells to continue their existence. This naturally manifests itself as a decrease in volume in that area. The more fat that survives after the facial fat transfer procedure, the longer-lasting the result will be. On the other hand, the fat injected into the face may lose volume due to the effects of the natural aging process on the entire body, instead of being completely eliminated within a few months as with other filling materials.

Will There Be Swelling and Bruising After Fat Transfer to the Face? How much will it take?

After fat transfer to the face, slight bruising and oedema may usually occur for 4-7 days. These symptoms resolve spontaneously without the need for any intervention.

What are the Facial Fat Transfer Techniques?

Fat transfer to the face is a procedure that can be applied with different techniques determined specifically for the patient.

Coleman Technique (Structural Fat Graft)

Structural fat grafting technique, in which the fats taken with 2.4 mm cannulas are centrifuged and then injected with 1.2 mm cannulas, was developed by Sydney Coleman. 1 mm volume is delivered in an average of 10 passes. The permanence of injected fats varies between 30-40%. Due to large fat particles, irregularities may occur in thin-skinned areas such as the temples, forehead and eyelids.

Microfat (Micro Fat Graft)

In this method, 1.4 mm cannulas are used to remove fat and 0.7 mm cannulas are used for transfer. Due to this thinness, pressure-related fat cell loss may occur. In the micro fat graft technique, the fat tissue can be filtered through micro filters, thinned further and applied to the tissues with much thinner cannulas. It is considered an ideal method for forehead, temple and under-eye applications.

Nanofat (Nano Fat Graft)

In the Nanofat method, the fat is first emulsified and then passed through a very fine filter. There are no living fat cells left in the fat obtained, only the stem cells maintain their vitality. This fluid, rich in stem cells, is transferred under the skin with very thin needles. In this way, it is possible to treat superficial skin problems, fine wrinkles and superficial colour problems.

Multiplanar Fat Transfer

In the multiplanar fat transfer technique, a personalized plan is made for the whole face and the individual. In each region, fat is transferred to different layers (such as superficial and deep subcutaneous, intramuscular and submuscular, subfascial areas) in accordance with the needs of the region. It is claimed that with this method, the percentage of living fat cells can increase from 30-40% to 50-70%. It stands out as a functional method because volume loss in the face increases during advanced aging and volume loss is different for everyone.

Alternatives to Fat Transfer and Accompanying Applications

Fat transfer is a method applied by removing excess fat from various parts of the body, processing it and injecting it into the area where volume is desired. As an alternative to fat transfer, it may be preferable to use fillers such as hyaluronic acid, collagen or synthetics to add volume to the face.

Facial Fat Transfer Prices

Facial fat transfer prices may vary depending on the area where the fat will be removed, the area where the injection will be made, which technique is used, the type of anesthesia, whether it will be combined with other treatments, the expertise of the doctor performing the application, the price policy of the clinic where the application is performed and many other factors.