Facial Fat Injection

Facial fat injection, medically known as fat tissue transfer, fat filling procedure; It is a surgical application performed to eliminate the volume loss of the face.

Our face loses volume during the aging process. Fat filling procedure is applied to slow down volume loss, maintain facial volume and increase volume in some special cases. In facial fat filling procedure, the fat tissue used as filling is obtained from the person's own body.

Facial fat injection procedure can be applied to almost every part of the face. Filling can be done with our own fat to fill the centre of the forehead depression, eyebrow volume loss, temporal area collapses, under-eye volume deficiencies, chin area volume deficiencies, cheek volume deficiencies, nose back irregularities.

Who is Facial Fat Filler Applied to?

Facial fat filling can be applied starting from the 30s in the aging process. As the face ages, it should be observed and the places where the volume is critically reduced should be reinforced in the process. For example, starting at the age of 30, one session every 2-3 years, each session can be applied to the areas where the need is intense. We can call this strategy fat tissue maintenance therapy.

If the person is already in the advanced stages of aging, the volume required for facial fat injection will be high. In this case, high volume fat tissue transfer to the entire face can be performed in a single session as part of facial rejuvenation surgeries.

Suitable candidates for this procedure should first of all be patient and have realistic expectations, because the swelling that occurs after the procedure is not for everyone.

How is facial fat injection applied?

Facial fat injection can be applied as small maintenance sessions or large replacement sessions. Mini-sessions limited to a single area of the face can be applied under local anaesthesia in polyclinic conditions. When larger areas and larger amounts are to be applied, the application should be performed under operating room conditions and general anaesthesia should be used if necessary.

In fat injection, fat is taken from the parts of the body with excess fat. The areas under the navel and the inner part of the knee are frequently used and compatible with the face. After the area where the fat will be taken is anaesthetised, the fat is taken with special injectors and needles, and the fat is passed through processes such as centrifugation, filtration and transfer. Then it is applied into the tissue with special cannulas (blunt needles). In the application, the cannula moves in the tissue and distributes the fat. The fat is almost knitted into the tissue. The movement of the cannula in the tissue may cause intense oedema formation. Sometimes the oedema of the procedure may cause swelling even beyond the volume of fat administered. Since the procedure is performed through needle holes, it is seamless. A small dressing is applied where the fat is removed. Antibiotic creams are applied to the face and the procedure is terminated.

Is Facial Fat Filling Permanent?

The permanence of facial fat injection application causes confusion. Facial fat filling is both permanent and not permanent. Namely; In each session of the application, 10-40% of the transferred fat lives, the rest dies. The procedure is ultimately a cell transfer and cells can be damaged and die while being taken from the body, transported, filtered, injected. As a result of the transfer process, some of the survivors will die if they cannot find a capillary vessel to connect to in their new home. In other words, roughly 2 units of 10 units of adipose tissue survive and these 2 survivors will live and age with you like your other tissues.

Swelling and Bruising After Facial Fat Filling

After fat filling on the face, a very significant swelling will occur in the application area. Bruising may also occur. While it is possible to return to social life in 5-7 days in small and single area applications, this process may take up to 3 weeks in whole face applications. Swelling will peak in the 48th hour after the application. At this time, patients are afraid that their face will remain like this. At this stage, more than half of the swelling is oedema and will completely disappear. 30% is the fat tissue that will melt. The remaining 20% will be permanent. A period of 6 weeks may be required to reach the final volume. During this time, the process can be very distressing for patients who cannot control their anxiety or wait for the swelling to go down.

Facial Fat Tissue Transfer Techniques

There are various techniques that can be used for targeted fat tissue transfer to the face. You can get information from your doctor about which technique will be used in which patient and for which purpose.

Structural Fat Graft (Coleman Technique)

This technique was developed by Dr Sydney Coleman. Fat is removed with 2.4 mm cannulas, centrifuged, and applied to the tissue with 1.2 mm cannulas. A volume of 1 millilitre is delivered in an average of 10 passes. In this application scheme, the permanence of fats is 30-40%. This application method is ideal for the jaw line, cheeks, under the nose, nasolabial grooves and body. Oedema is very prominent. Since the fat particles in this technique are large, irregularities may occur in places where the skin is thin such as eyelids, temples and forehead.

Micro Fat Graft (Microfat)

In this technique, 1.4 millimetre cannulas are used to remove fat and 0.7 millimetre cannulas are used to deliver fat. At this fineness, fat loss due to pressure is higher and permanence decreases to 10-20%. However, since the particles are fine, it can be applied by knitting very well under thin skin. In micro fat transfer, fat tissue can be much thinner by passing through micro filters and can be applied to the tissue with much thinner cannulas. In filtered micro fat transfer, the hairiness decreases up to 10%, but the roughness is minimised. This application is especially ideal for under eye, temple and forehead applications.

Nano Fat Graft (Nanofat)

In nanofat application, the oil is first emulsified and then passed through a very fine filter. There are no living fat cells in the oil obtained. Only stem cells survive. Then this tissue can be applied into the skin with very thin needles. It is used to treat superficial problems of the skin, fine wrinkles, superficial colour problems. It does not create any volume increase. It is preferred for stem cell effect. Stem cell effect starts to be seen within 6-12 months after application.

Multiplanar Fat Tissue Transfer to the Face

In the advanced stages of aging, the loss of volume in the face of the person also increases. Volume loss concerns the whole face from the deep to the surface, from the centre to the periphery. However, each individual's face loses volume in a different pattern. In some people, volume loss around the mouth is more prominent, in others around the eyes. While some individuals lose volume peripherally, some individuals have peripheral adiposity. In some individuals, the compact fat tissue layer just under the skin decreases, while in some faces, deep fat layers decrease. Multiplanar adipose tissue transfer means to transfer different layers of tissue to the whole face in each region according to the needs of that region in accordance with a personalised planning. This procedure, which covers the entire face under general anaesthesia, usually requires 1-2 hours of operation time. Multiplanar fat injection is usually considered as an element of facial rejuvenation planning.

Alternatives to Fat Injection and Accompanying Applications

Fat injection is a natural tissue transfer. Its alternative is to volumise the face with synthetic fillers. The most important disadvantage of synthetic fillers is that at the end of the effect period, the entire filler will dissolve and disappear under all conditions. Therefore, synthetic fillers should be repeated roughly every year. Considering the volume requirement of the aging face, the repetition of 8-15 cc of filling every year increases the total cost of the procedure over time. Synthetic fillers may cause allergic reactions, albeit to a lesser extent. There is no such risk in fat filling. Fat injection or fat filling treatment is often combined with surface treatments such as botulinum toxin and chemical peeling. Similarly, facial fat injection is performed as part of the surgery to improve the results of many facial aesthetic surgeries. Fat filling procedure is frequently combined with eyelid surgeries, mid-face lift and facelift surgeries.

Fat Injection Prices

The cost of the fat injection procedure varies according to the clinic or hospital where the procedure is performed. Fat injection technique is also one of the factors affecting fat filling prices. Facial fat injection prices will be significantly higher in applications performed on the whole face under general anaesthesia. You can contact us at the contact number to get information about the average prices of facial fat filling.

For more detailed information about facial fat injection or other aesthetic treatments that regulate facial volume, we recommend you to take a look at our facial aesthetics BLOG at www.yeniyuzyenihayat.com, one of the most comprehensive Turkish resources on the internet in the field of facial aesthetics.