Facial Fat Transfer

Lip augmentation through fat transfer is a form of noninvasive option for patients looking for enhancing the size and shape of their lips temporarily without using artificial dermal fillers. The fat is collected from the thighs, buttocks, or abdomen among other donor areas. It is purified before injecting in the lips.

The goal of this procedure is to enhance the volume of your lips naturally by using your body’s excess fat. This also means that there is zero risk of rejection. Lip augmentation with fat transfer is a two-step process since the fat needs to be harvested before being injected.

Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Bryson Richards provides facial fat transfer for lip enhancement to patients in Las Vegas, NV, and surrounding locations.

Cosmetic Concerns

These are a few cosmetic concerns that can be treated by using lip augmentation using fat transfer:

  • Lip Size: You can enhance your lip plumpness and volume through strategic injections with autologous fat transfer
  • Lip Shape: Autologous fat transfer can improve the contour and symmetry of your lower and upper lip

Facial gat grafting can also be used in the area around the lips and nose for improving:

  • Marionette lines
  • Nasolabial folds
  • Unfilled lips
  • Undefined lip lines
  • Smoker’s lines

Ideal Candidates

Approvable candidates will naturally have thin lips or a decrease in lip volume because of age related factors. Lip enhancement through fat transfer is not recommended for patients that are heavy smokers (and unwilling to quit for a brief period), have infections in and around the mouth area, or don’t have enough excess fat for harvesting.

Procedure Details for Lip Fat Grafting

The surgical team will first use colored pens for marking the donor site from where the fat will be taken and the areas on your lips where it will be injected. Lip fat grafting requires a tiny amount of fat, which means it will probably be taken from a single site.

Liposuction will be used by the surgeon for harvesting fat from the donor site. The fat will be refined through a centrifuge to remove oil, blood, and water among other components. It will then be injected in the new location. This will be done slowly to allow the surgeon to sculpt the lip for better looking results.

Estimated Recovery Period

Swelling and bruising should not last for more than 5 to 10 days. Majority of patients are allowed to resume work within 48 hours of the procedure. Normal activities are allowed within a week of the procedure.

Lip Augmentation through Fat Transfer: Results

You may be able to acquire immediate results by getting a lip augmentation performed with autologen implant. However, it may take up to 3 to 6 months for the final results to take effect. A percentage of the transplanted fat will get reabsorbed by the body over time.

However, once the fat settles, results may last anywhere from 6 to 24 months. Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Bryson Richards receives patients from Las Vegas, NV, and nearby areas for facial fat transfer to enhance and reshape the lips.

Contact Las Vegas Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. Richards to Schedule a Consultation

If you would like more information on cosmetic surgery procedures and treatments performed by Las Vegas, Nevada plastic surgeon, Dr. Bryson Richards please contact us at 702.870.7070

Taking new patients from Las Vegas, Bullhead City,  Laughlin, Pahrump, Mesquite NV and surrounding areas.

Facial Fat Grafting

Scarring can take place anywhere on the body after eventual healing of damaged skin tissue. Burns, chicken pox, injuries, sun exposure, acne, radiation exposure, and others can cause scarring on the skin. Itching, pain, and discomfort are the usual accompaniments to scarring.

Facial fat grafting is an excellent repair solution for various types of scars. The procedure involves harvesting fat from one or more places on the body and grafting it elsewhere. You can reduce the appearance of scars on the body and face with structural fat grafting. This includes taking care of deep depressions and dimpling to provide softer, thicker, and healthier skin.

These are a few potential benefits of fat grafting for scarred bodies and faces:

  • Reducing itchiness and pain
  • Improving the quality of scarred and aged skin
  • Treating chronic ulcers
  • Healing damage from radiation

Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Bryson Richards provides facial fat grafting for the removal or reduction of scars to patients in Las Vegas, NV, and surrounding communities.

Good Candidates for Facial Scar Reduction with Fat Grafting

Structural or facial fat grafting moves fat from one body part to another. There is no risk of allergic reaction or rejection, which means that anyone can get the procedure done. It can be used for repairing scars on the body and face that were caused by a wide range of factors. Both women and men with any skin type may be suitable candidates for scar reduction with facial fat grafting.

Procedure Overview

Colored pens will be used by the surgical team for marking the exact graft and donor areas on the body. The doctor will then harvest fat from the body using liposuction. This will either be done from a single area or multiple ones. Centrifuge will be used for refining and concentrating the fat. This will also remove any unwanted substances, such as water, blood, and oil.

The doctor will finally place the purified in the targeted location. This process can take 2 – 3 hours depending on the amount of fat required.

Anesthesia Types

General anesthesia is used for the surgery. However, local anesthesia with sedation may be used for smaller and minor procedures.

Recovery

The extent of the procedure will determine your recovery time. Bruising, swelling and soreness are a few side effects. Recovery generally happens quickly in minor cases. You should be feeling normal in just a few days. In complex cases, bruising, soreness, and swelling may last a little longer.

Generally, it takes 2 to 3 weeks for the bruising to fade away. Swelling may also take 2 to 3 weeks to fade away completely. Also, swelling in the donor area may take up to 6 months to heal. You should be able to return to routine activity in just 2 weeks depending on the level of recovery.

Anticipated Results

Traditional fat grafting is not 100% effective. However, structural fat grafting has a high success rate. There are studies needed to measure the survival rate of transplanted fat over time. There are several benefits to the procedure:

  • Better scars
  • Zero risk
  • Continued improvements

Side Effects

  • Bleeding
  • Infections
  • Swelling
  • Bruising

Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Bryson Richards receives patients from Las Vegas, NV, and nearby areas for facial fat transfer to reduce scars.

Contact Las Vegas Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. Richards to Schedule a Consultation

If you would like more information on cosmetic surgery procedures and treatments performed by Las Vegas, Nevada plastic surgeon, Dr. Bryson Richards please contact us at 702.870.7070

Taking new patients from Las Vegas, Bullhead City,  Laughlin, Pahrump, Mesquite NV and surrounding areas.

Fat Injections

You may want to consider facial fat injectables if you want to undergo a facial rejuvenation procedure and don’t think you are ready for facial plastic surgery, such as face lift. Facial fat sculpting through injection method is known as microlipoinjection. This can restore the contours on your chin, cheeks, and under-eye area. It can also add volume to your lips.

Microlipoinjection can be successfully performed along with other facial rejuvenation procedures, such as chemical peels, microdermabrasion, and Botox. Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Bryson Richards provides fat injections treatment for the enhancement of facial contours to patients in Las Vegas, NV, and surrounding locations.

Basics of Autologous Fat Transfer or Microlipoinjection

Autologous fat transfer or microlipoinjection is a procedure in which your body’s own fat will be used for plumping up emaciated areas around the face and adding volume where required. Autologous fat transfer means to use the body’s own fat or tissues. There are three steps to autologous fat transfer because your own fat will be used:

  1. The first step is gentle liposuction of excess fat from the buttocks, thighs, abdomen, and jowls
  2. The second step is cleansing the fat cells after isolating them
  3. The third step is injecting the purified fat into targeted areas through fat cell transplantation

Targeted Facial Areas

Creases in the forehead and between the eyebrows cannot be improved with fat injection treatment. Hollows under the eyes cannot be treated as well. Fat injections can be used for improving the contours or plumping up the skin under the nose, jawline, area between the nose and the jawline, and the temples.

Fat transfer can correct sunken, hollow areas, and scars on the face and neck. Special aspects of wear and tear can also be eliminated by facial fat injections. These generally appear with age in the form of wrinkles, marionette lines, frown lines, smile lines, furrows, and hollows under the eyes.

Fat transfer can be used for treating lips that have lost volume. It can also be used for treating depressions and scars. Autologous fat transfer could be a poignant option for people with these conditions who want to avoid invasive surgery and yet want more sustainable and natural looking results.

Dermal Fillers vs. Fat Injections

Fat transfer doesn’t involve introducing any new or foreign material into the body. This is one of the biggest differences between dermal fillers and autologous fat transfer. This makes the procedure particularly suitable for people that are sensitive to foreign substances, such as hyaluronic acid or collagen.

Another important difference between autologous fat transfer technique and dermal fillers is that fat transfer results tend to last for a longer time. Facial dermal fillers, such as Juvederm and Restylane usually contain hyaluronic acid or other compounds that break down and get absorbed by the skin.

This means that results disappear over the course of few months making it necessary to get additional treatments. In contrast, effects of facial fat injections can last from several months to years. Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Bryson Richards receives patients from Las Vegas, NV, and nearby areas for fat injections for the enhancement of facial contours.

Contact Las Vegas Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. Richards to Schedule a Consultation

If you would like more information on cosmetic surgery procedures and treatments performed by Las Vegas, Nevada plastic surgeon, Dr. Bryson Richards please contact us at 702.870.7070

Taking new patients from Las Vegas, Bullhead City,  Laughlin, Pahrump, Mesquite NV and surrounding areas.