Why do women over 40 need more facial fat?

This article discusses the common problem of facial fat loss in women over 40 and why it occurs. The loss of facial fat can lead to a more aged and tired appearance. The article also explores various solutions to this problem, including non-surgical options such as dermal fillers and fat transfer.

Article's contents

• Can we stop or reverse aging?
• Why facial fat is so important?
• Can we just inject dermal filler instead?
• Is facial fat grafting affordable?
• Couple words about mesenchymal stem cells
• Use of mesenchymal stem cells in aesthetics
• How is fat transfer done on the face?
• Can i get a liposuction with this procedure?
• The process of fat grafting …
• What to expect immediately after facial fat grafting?

As we age, our skin, muscles, and bones weaken and thin out. As a result, facial ligaments that hold our muscles, weaken and stretch out, leading to infamous face drooping and sagging skin. Skin itself becomes dryer, leading to visible lines and wrinkles. Some of you might think this process is unavoidable, which of course we do agree with, we all will age sooner or later. But, wouldn’t it be great to age later rather then sooner?  

Can we stop or reverse aging?

How can we fight against aging? We can tell you with complete certainty, we can slow down this aging process and even turn it back, with help of adult mesenchymal stem cells. Wouldn’t you love to have fuller more lifted cheeks? How about reduced furrows and wrinkles on your forehead? Maybe brighter more open eyes and tighter jawline? With new advances in aesthetic medicine, we can harvest your own fat and transfer it to the face,, process called fat grafting, and resulting in complete skin rejuvenation.

Why facial fat is so important?

Have you noticed, people with fuller faces have less wrinkles? This is because fat underneath our skin helps it stay young and plump. Our abdominal fat is one of the best sources of adult mesenchymal stem cells. During a facial fat transfer procedure, our doctor will gently harvest a small amount of abdominal fat. This fat will be purified using special sterile device, producing beautiful golden filler, which will be injected back into your face. During the process of purification, we eliminate all unnecessary elements, including blood, scar tissue, larger, less usable fat, leaving a beautiful golden product with consistency similar to many dermal fillers available in aesthetic market.

Can we just inject dermal filler instead?

You might ask, why wouldn’t we just use dermal filler, like Juvederm or Restylane and don’t bother with liposuction, fat harvesting and fat grafting? Don’t get us wrong, we love using these beautiful injectable products. However, during facial fat grafting procedure, we will inject 8-12 ml of fat cells, which is equivalent to 8 – 12 syringes of filler. For most patients, this amount of dermal filler might cause too much inflammation, after all, dermal fillers are still foreign material to our bodies.

With facial fat grafting, we are using your own tissue, leading to little inflammation.  Bottom line is, it all depends on our patient and their aesthetic goals. We like using dermal fillers as “icing on a cake”, little amount to correct small imperfections. Therefore, when it comes to complete face rejuvenation, especially for patients with thinner faces and deeper facial lines and wrinkles, facial fat injections can offer fantastic long lasting results.

Is facial fat grafting affordable?

As we mentioned above, during facial fat transfer, we will inject 8-12 ml of purified fat back into the face, which is equivalent to 8-12 syringes of filler, which can quickly add up to thousands of dollars. The facial fat transfer will on average cost about half of the equivalent dermal filler procedure. Also, mesenchymal stem cells in that fat will continue to rejuvenate and tighten sagging skin for many years after the procedure. Something we cannot deliver with dermal filler treatment alone.

Couple words about mesenchymal stem cells

So, what  are these adult mesenchymal stem cells and why do we need them? Mesenchymal stem cells are magical cells with ability to transform into bone, cartilage, skin, muscle, nerve, liver, heart, cornea or fat. These cells are used in regenerative medicine to heal people from various diseases. In aesthetic medicine, we use these cells to repair aging skin, restore face volume and repair aging facial ligaments. Mesenchymal stem cells can be harvested from bone marrow, umbilical cord, amnionic fluid and adipose tissue or fat.

Use of mesenchymal stem cells in aesthetics

In aesthetic medicine, we use abdominal fat as a source of adult mesenchymal cells. These magical stem cells will easily blend with your own facial fat, resulting not only in increased volume, but in improved texture and elasticity of your skin. Your skin texture will continue to improve for many years following the fat grafting procedure. It is truly like aging backwards.

Can i get a liposuction with this procedure?

Abdominal fat is easy to harvest through the process of manual, not power assisted liposuction. Keep in mind, the purpose of this treatment is to harvest enough cells to rejuvenate your face, not to reduce size of your belly. If you are looking for abdominal liposuction procedure, we would be happy to refer you to one of many talented Scottsdale plastic surgeons.

The process of fat grafting …

Fat harvesting procedure is done in our office, with minimal discomfort, under local anesthesia. During your treatment we will use lidocaine to anesthetize your abdomen. We can also provide you with laughing gas, to relax and minimize discomfort. Once fat is harvested and purified, our doctor will skillfully inject it back into your face. Each injection procedure is unique, we customize your treatment to give you more natural youthful results.

Facial fat transfer injections will address area around your eyes, skin around your mouth, including marionette lines, skin near your ears, forehead and chin. We will inject your fat using blunt cannula to minimize bruising and trauma to your skin. For patients with slim faces, we will focus on restoring periorbital and buccal fat pads, leading to more youthful facial contour.

What to expect immediately after facial fat grafting?

Immediately after the treatment, expect minor swelling in your face, which typically resolves after 3-7 days. Most patients can go back to work the next day after the procedure. Your abdomen will feel sore for few days to few weeks post treatment, all depending on your pain tolerance. We do not prescribe pain medications after this procedure, as they are not necessary, but we do recommend to take acetaminophen the first night after the treatment. After face fat transfer procedure, your results can be appreciated right away, but will continue to improve for few years following the procedure. We are excited to introduce you to our new fat grafting, skin rejuvenation treatment to start your own anti-aging journey.