Facial Fat Grafting
Why use filler when you can use the real thing?
Your body's own natural fat can be used to enhance your appearance. Fat cells can be removed from one area of the body, and used to enhance facial contours, smooth lines or fill depressions. This process has the advantage of using your own fat, without the worry of rejection problems. Newer surgical techniques have made it possible to increase the long term results of facial fat grafting.
Benefits of Facial Fat Grafting
Unlike dermal fillers, the use of your own fat cells leaves your face feeling soft and supple, as the fat is completely natural, using your own live cells to enhance appearance. Many surgeons believe that the benefits of grafting your own fat go beyond altering your appearance, and that the abundant stem cells in the fat aid in facial rejuvenation, giving the skin a natural, healthy sheen.
Facial fat grafting can be used to subtly change the appearance of your face and address the following issues:
- Resolve unbalanced, unattractive hollow areas at the temples
- Diminish the appearance of creases, laugh lines, and wrinkles
- Enhance lip size
- Fill in unattractive facial depressions
- Increase cheek size for a more appealing facial contour
Facial Fat Grafting: How it is Performed
The fat grafting procedure is fairly simple and is performed while the patient is under sedation anesthesia to maximize comfort. The fat will be gently extracted from the donor areas such as “love handles”, flank, thighs, or buttocks. The fat is then purified using the patented PUREGRAFT system. PUREGRAFT is an advanced technology system that significantly enhances the fat purification process. Through a specialized filtration system, PUREGRAFT can gently remove oils, red blood cells, and other cellular debris leaving a highly purified and viable fat graft for transplant. The fat is then placed into small syringes and carefully injected into the facial area being treated. Dr. Morrissette uses a “blunt tip cannula” rather than a needle to inject the fat. This helps reduce bruising and provides more accurate placement of the fat cells, a smoother contour, less facial trauma overall, and a shorter recovery time for the patient.
The Gold Standard in Fat Transfer
PureGraft filtration systems deliver 97% pure fat grafts for predictable, consistent, long-lasting results every time.
Simple, Yet Superior
The innovative PureGraft technology features a 74-micron dialyzing filter with openings smaller than a fat adipocyte and an 800-micron support mesh that provides space for waste fluid to drain. These features work in conjunction to gently separate the lipoaspirate into viable adipose tissue while pulling aside blood, oil, and waste fluid. The result is a high concentration of healthy, viable fat cells.
With a single device, it’s quick and easy to harvest high-quality grafts.
Before & After
Longer-Lasting Results with New Surgical Procedure
With the correct procedures employed in facial fat grafting, the results can last for many years. In earlier techniques, the results were less predictable with greater resorption of some of the fat cells. Today, using the PUREGRAFT system, there is a greater predictability of graft survival. Often 50-70% of the grafted fat will remain viable. However, in some cases, a second fat graft procedure may be needed at 6 months following the initial graft. Dr. Morrissette uses a special topographical technique to place the fat cells in small amounts in multiple layers. This allows blood vessels to grow into and through the area, providing the potential for a long-lasting result. This technique can sustain the viability of the fat cells and allow them to become a healthy part of your facial tissue.
Dr. Morrissette: Advanced Techniques in Facial Fat Grafting
Dr. Morrissette is committed to providing his patients with advanced procedures in cosmetic surgery. His ability to evaluate facial structure and place the fat in the correct amount and in the right position is a testament to his artistry and skill. Cosmetic surgery, when effective, takes more than medical training. Your cosmetic surgeon must have an "eye" for beauty, and how to perform the surgery to achieve a natural-looking result, rather than over-plumped and overfilled. Dr. Morrissette is frequently engaged in learning new procedures so his patients gain the advantage of the latest techniques in cosmetic surgery. Rather than using fillers, the placement of your own fat cells could be a better choice for you.
