Fat Transfer (Fat Injection)

Newport Beach, Orange County, CA

Fat Transfer / Fat Injection Information Resource for Southern California including Orange County, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and San Diego.

Actual Fat Transfer Patient

Welcome to Orange County's best information resource for plastic surgery and, in particular, fat transfer / fat injection surgery. Dr. Cruise, board certified plastic surgeon, Newport Beach, CA, has filled every inch of this site with the most comprehensive fat transfer information available. Patient education is a priority for Dr. Cruise. With this in mind, he was adamant that the information be highly relevant, easy to understand and, above all, lots and lots of fat transfer pictures.

To give you a brief overview, here are some of the important topics that will be discussed. This is in addition to the many fat injection before and after pictures available for your review.

• Is fat transfer better than soft tissue fillers?
  The answer is "it depends". Fat transfer has many advantages over soft tissue fillers but may not always be the best choice.
  

• What does a fat transfer do?
  Does fat transfer correct wrinkles, loose skin? Can it take the place of a face lift?

• Do I need to go to sleep to have a fat transfer?
  Typically, fat injection can be done under local anesthesia in the office. Often, it is combined with other facial procedures.
  

• Fat transfer before and after pictures
  Find people similar to you.

• Complications, risks, recovery and safety

• Fat transfer cost
  Is financing available?

Overview of Fat Injection

Filling soft tissue deficits such as wrinkles, laugh lines, sunken areas around the eyes, and cheeks has been a frustrating problem. This frustration has been shared by both plastic surgeons and their patients who want something that works well and lasts. Many substances have been used. Some have been successful but last only a short time such as collagen. Others are permanent but are hard to the touch and have an unnatural feel like silicone implants. Still, others have been fraught with infection and lumpiness like liquid silicone. We have not come up with the perfect soft tissue filler yet. There is an amazing work being done in the field of stem cell research. In the future we will be able to take your own blood and grow your own collagen which will be permanent. That day is at least 20 years away and the cost will be very high.

Recently, fat transplantation has become very close to what could be considered the ideal soft tissue filler. Many pioneers in plastic surgeons such as Dr. Cruise are using it with outstanding results. After all, it is your own fat that is being used. The benefit of fat transplantation is that the majority of the fat transplanted lives forever. Meaning, the result is permanent. This is a major step forward. Also, the touch and feel of fat is perfect because it is your own tissue.

The idea of fat transplantation is not a new one. It has been attempted since the early '70s but the results were not reliable. The reason for this was because the adipocytes, or fat cells, were destroyed when the fat was harvested during liposuction. With newer techniques such as gentle handling, filtering, and chemical alteration it has been found that the majority of adipocytes can and do survive.

For decades, plastic surgeons have been actively looking for something to act as a soft tissue filler. Until these new techniques were devised, the search included such substances as silicone, fascia, tendon, bone, and many other artificial foreign bodies. None could provide the soft, squeezable feel that one's own tissue has. Fat is the best soft tissue filler that we currently have available.

The importance of fat transplantation was not thoroughly recognized until plastic surgeons started seriously evaluating what causes facial aging. It was once thought that aging was caused by stretching of the skin. With more recent developments it is clear that this is only a small part of facial aging. The majority of facial aging can be attributed to fat and muscle descent as well as loss of facial fat. With the advent of successful fat transplantation, significant strides have been made in recapturing one's youthful appearance. This is done by replacing the fat, which has been lost with age, or has fallen down the face leaving sunken eyes with circles, deep cheek folds, etc.

Animated Fat Transfer to Cheeks and Lower Lids

Scroll over the image to see Fat Transfer to Cheeks and Lower Lids

The importance of facial fat can be best seen in that of a baby. Look at the cheeks of an infant. You will see a tremendous amount of fat. When you look at successful models, all of them have high cheekbones with a lot of fat within the cheeks. As we age the fat either falls downward or goes away exposing an aged, sunken in appearance. By replacing this fat a more youthful appearance can be obtained without even making incisions. This is a very attractive idea to most people, and this is why fat transplantation has become so popular among experienced plastic surgeons.

Fat loss is mostly noticed around the eyes and within the cheeks. The loss of fat around the eyes creates a sunken in appearance. Another characteristic is that the facial skeleton becomes more and more apparent. Deep circles and bags become obvious as the fat either drifts downward or goes away. By replacing the fat these processes can be reversed.

Youthful Face. Cheek fat is just below the eyes.

Notice how cheek fat descends with age. This gives a gaunty look to the eyes. It also enlarges the naso labial folds just above the lips and creates jowls at the jaw line. The once elegant triangular face has fallen creating an aged rectangular look.

Aging Face

It is a very exciting time in plastic surgery because we are just beginning to solve the puzzle of facial aging. Even though facial aging affects the entire face and neck, sometimes a patient is really only concerned with a particular area such as the neck. In this situation, only that area needs to be addressed. This is an excellent way to approach facial rejuvenation. You should only have corrected what really bothers you. You can always come back and have other things done.