There are several reasons to want to add volume to your face and create a contoured look. Whether it is due to age or genetics, adding volume can make a big difference to creating a youthful appearance. As we age we can lose precious volume in areas like our cheeks and lower face, even our lips. Genetics can leave us with flat cheeks, thin lips and even hallow under-eyes.
For years the “go-to” treatment for volume loss has been an array of temporary Hyaluronic Acid Fillers. These fillers range from very hydrophilic (water attracting) and volume building to more subtle, thinner and less hydrophilic. The idea is for your injector to choose the most appropriate type of syringe according to your areas of improvement. The more hydrophilic = the more the product will expand once injected. This creates the plump volume appearance.
Among the several positive advantages of injecting non-permanent fillers there are however, some downsides. The problem with these fillers is that they can metabolize rather quickly. After spending anywhere from $500-1000 on a single syringe you can be left wondering where your money went, literally. Depending on the area injected and how quickly your body goes through the product you can find yourself in need of a touch up within 6-8 months. That’s an expensive habit to keep up.
Another downside is the need to keep re-injecting the same areas. Even the most experience injector can’t predict how a product will move or change. Everyone’s body is different. When you constantly inject the same area over and over again you run the risk of inconsistent results and uneven product build up.
There is a solution! Many board certified plastic surgeons have perfected Micro fat injections. Micro fat injections are created from your own fat that is removed from one area with an excess of fat cells; the lower abdomen, the thighs, the back, etc. The fat is spun at a very high speed, cleaned and placed into small syringes with a cannula needle attachment. A cannula is a flat blunt tipped needle that can not damage tissues or break blood vessels when pushed and injected into the skin. It doesn’t damage or break blood vessels because the tip is not sharp, it is blunt. We inject the fat using tiny incision holes that the blunt tip cannula enter in and deposit exactly how much we want in each area that requires additional volume.
The great thing about your own fat is that it has the perfect volume-fat cell ratio for your body. We can layer and build the fat to create the desired look without the use of several different manufactured types of fillers.
This procedure is a beautiful, scarless and natural way to achieve volume!
Give our office a call today to learn more about this procedure and if it is right for you. 310-858-9100.
(Below you can see Dr. Yamini of Sunset Cosmetic Surgery using his patient’s fat from her liposuction procedure to perform micro fat injections to her lips and face. She is feeling no pain because she is under anesthesia and the treatment is scarless.)
