Recontouring your face naturally

Plastic Surgery Associates now offers a non-surgical approach to facial recontouring. Fat injections, also called fat transfer or fat transplantation, can correct skin defects such as especially deep facial wrinkles and furrows by using your body's own fat cells. The injections can also recontour your face, enhance your lips, cheeks or chin, or correct facial or body deformities.

Fat transfer is becoming a popular alternative to injections of synthetic materials such as collagen. Many people dislike the idea of having a foreign substance in their bodies. Plus, fat injections are safer—there is no risk of rejection or allergic reactions, since you are using your body's own cells.

What does fat transplantation involve?

Your doctor will anesthetize the donor site (area from which fat is taken) and the recipient site (area to be treated). A needle attached to a syringe is inserted in the donor site, an area with a thick layer of fat such as the buttocks or thigh. Fat cells are drawn into the syringe, then injected into the recipient site. The process is repeated until the recipient site has taken on the desired appearance. Fat injections are almost always done on an outpatient basis, and the pain is minimal.

What should I expect after fat injections?

You should be up and around afterward, and the effect on your daily routine should be minimal. You should be able to return to work right away, but the treated area will be swollen. To what extent depends on the procedure. With more extensive treatments such as lip, chin or cheek injections, the swelling may last two weeks. With more minor treatments such as wrinkle reduction, the swelling should be gone in a few days.