Will Fat Injections Replace Facial Fillers?

Many people go to a plastic surgeon’s office to get rid of their fat, but now fat is being used to reverse the aging process. “Fat is probably the hottest ticket in town right now for plastic surgery,” says Dr. Brian Reagan, a board certified plastic surgeon from San Diego. “We’re taking fat out of areas where patients don’t want it, and putting it back into areas where they need volume. This is the future of plastic surgery, and it’s here.”

By: Brian Reagan, MD
and Chris Knisley
ThePlasticSurgeryChannel.com

Fat Injections vs Fillers

The influence of fat is expanding very quickly into many different areas of plastic surgery, and as fat grafting grows in popularity and application, plastic surgeons are working on improving the success and longevity of fat transplantation. One of the areas is transferring fat to the face for a more youthful look. Currently, surgeons are utilizing facial fillers, such as Juvéderm®, Restylane®, Radiesse®, and the newest to the market Voluma XC®, to bring volume back to the face.

While the fillers work very well and have produced incredible results, they don’t last forever, requiring patients to make routine visits to maintain their rejuvenation. “Using a patient’s own fat is a win-win in a lot of areas,” says Dr. Reagan. “For one, we are removing fat from areas where patients have an excess, and instead of just throwing it out, we process the fat and use it in the same way we use facial fillers; inject it into the face. Not only does the fat work just as well as the fillers, but it lasts indefinitely.”

Fat may prove to be a better solution for your pocketbook

Fat versus synthetic fillers will be great for patients’ bank accounts. “What people don’t realize is that the cost of those fillers can be quite high, but there’s very little cost in the long run for using your own fat that may last a lifetime,” says Reagan.

Dr. Reagan has heard the skeptics that say fat doesn’t last, and to that he says, “Fat does last, and we’re working on how to get it to last more uniformly, and more predictably. It may last differently in different tissues and differently in each patient, but there’s no doubt that it lasts.”

Fat is proving to be a versatile alternative and board-certified plastic surgeons are continuing to improve their methods and applications of fat to provide the best possible experience, and outcomes, for their patients.