Facial wrinkles and folds are a normal part of the aging process. They begin to form as the underlying collagen and elastin fibers break down and wear out. While this breakdown is perfectly normal, it can also be exacerbated by things like sun exposure or an extraordinary amount of facial movement such as smiling and frowning.
How Does Fat Transfer Work?
The liposuction and subsequent lipoinjection techniques used in fat transfer are an excellent way to improve facial depressions, lines, and folds. Using tumescent liposuction techniques, fat is gently taken from the abdomen or hips and injected with a specialized instrument into areas such as the nasolabial folds, marionette lines, lips, and cheeks.
Benefits of Fat Transfer
Fat transfer offers the advantages of using natural fat: The results appear natural and there isn't any foreign material to cause a reaction. An additional benefit is the body slimming effect of liposuction. Fat injections tend to be more permanent when injected around the eyes, and less so when injected for lip augmentation or around the chin or mouth.
Disadvantages include the need for at least one, and maybe two additional fat injections in order to achieve permanent enhancement. Fat transfer surgery is performed on an outpatient basis with IV Sedation and usually takes about one hour. Patients can usually return to work within a few days, although swelling may take somewhat longer to fully subside.
To learn more about fat transfer, contact the Little Rock Surgery office of Dr. Branman. Fat transfer, and all cosmetic surgery procedures, are performed by Little Rock cosmetic surgeon Dr. Rhys Branman at Arkansas Surgical Hospital or in our in-office surgical suite.
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