Fat Injection or Lipofilling consists in harvesting fat from one or several donor areas of a patient and reinjecting it during the same procedure after purification of the zones that require filling. This is a real tissue graft. The transferred fat cells revascularize and in time provide stability to the results.

Moreover, the presence of stem cells (which transform themselves when they come into contact with the receiver tissue) in the transfer will enable new production of collagen and the abundant growth factors will act as a skin booster. The increase in volume will be accompanied by a thickening of the skin which will appear to be brighter and more tonic.

During the aging process, the face loses volume and the skin sags. The face therefore appears more hollow, emaciated, natural folds become deeper – accentuating dark areas resulting in a more marked, fatigued, severe aspect.

Reinjection of fat in certain strategic places will correct the sagging parts of the face and give it back its fullness and harmony.

This technique enables treatment of certain areas of the face or the full face in a single session.

The most often treated zones include:

• The cheekbones, where aging can first be seen: their hollowing will contribute to accentuating the nasolabial and bitterness folds, then participate in the appearance of jowls.
• The eyebrow area.
• The temples.
• The tear trough.
• The facial oval.
• The lips.

The procedure

This is a light surgical procedure which takes place in an operating room under rigorous aseptic conditions under local anesthesia, sedation, or general anesthesia.
First, fat is harvested from a chosen donor area which can also be harvested by liposuction.

The fat is then purified by centrifuge or washing and filtration in a manner to reinject the most living fat cells possible.

The fat is finally reinjected via microcannula in multilayers in order to expand the tissue.

There is no postoperative pain but there will be edema and bruising which can last for 3 to 15 days depending on the area and the amount of treatment.

Healing in the donor and treatment sites occurs in several days and will be almost invisible.

The final result should be judged after three months because a certain degree of reduction (20% on average) could be observed.

Compared with filling by injection of hyaluronic acid which is performed in the physician’s office with no notable postoperative problems, lipofilling of the face is a surgical procedure that requires a day of hospitalization and an interruption in social and professional activities. On the other hand, the results are much more durable and are accompanied by a rejuvenation of the skin. The price of a hyaluronic acid syringe is no longer a limiting factor and numerous areas can be treated during the same session in order to obtain a more global result.