Fat Injections to the Face
As patients age, they lose fat volume. The skin can begin to sag, and areas of fat deficiency may present as typical signs of aging. For example, many patients lose fat below their eyes, leaving a “tear trough.” This depressed area catches a shadow and can make someone appear older. The cheeks and lower jaw can also loose fat volume.
Dr. Toriumi is a big proponent of adding fat back to the face to enhance facial volume and recreate favorable balance to the facial structure. This procedure may be performed in conjunction with other aging face procedures such as facelift, eyelid surgery or browlift. Dr. Toriumi will frequently add fat to the area under the eyes (tear trough), cheeks, nasolabial folds and lower mandible. Fat may also be used to create larger fuller lips.
The fat is harvested from the patient’s abdomen or thighs. The fat is processed using special methods into either micro fat or nanofat. The microfat is used to augment the facial tissues and is injected using a small needle (cannula) into the designated areas. Nanofat is a very small particle and is primarily used for the stem cells to enhance healing and rejuvenate the skin. Nanofat may be injected into fine wrinkles.
Once fat is injected, about 40% of what is injected is lost over time. For this reason, Dr. Toriumi will typically overfill areas to account for the loss over time. Patients typically require two to three weeks to recover from the fat injections depending on the injection site
Injected fat also has a rejuvenating effect on the patient’s skin. Many patients will note an improvement in skin contour and tone.
