In 2017, fat grafting made the list of top 5 plastic surgery procedures with the most significant increases. Fat transfer to the face was up 22.3% with 57,739 procedures performed, and buttocks augmentation with fat transfer and implants grew 25.5%, with 23,115 patients undergoing the surgery. So why is fat grafting so hot? The short answer: ACPS plastic surgeons can improve your body’s shape and proportions by removing fat where you don’t want it through liposuction and placing it in areas where it IS desired such as the buttocks and face to create very attractive contours.
Fat Grafting to the Face
With aging, the face gradually loses its underlying fat. While this is something many of us desire for our bodies, it’s not such a good thing for the face because this fat gives the face a younger appearance. In time, the cheeks tend to look flatter, lips become thinner, and the areas around the eyes and temples become more hollow, making the face look older. With facial fat grafting, ACPS surgeons replenish the fat in these areas to create more youthful contours. Usually, about a tablespoon of fat per side is all that’s needed to restore youthful fullness in the temples, cheeks, and around the mouth. In addition, fat grafting can be used for chin augmentation to improve its definition and bring it more in balance with other facial features.
ACPS surgeon Dr. Henry Mentz said, “Using your own transplanted tissue is a great strategy for facial rejuvenation and body contour refinement because it’s durable, changes with you, and stays where you put it. Within 24 hours after grafting, each cell develops a blood supply and is essentially cemented into place. For some patients, more fat is required because of the level of movement that takes place in the area targeted for grafting. This factor must be accounted for because it influences the amount of fat that will stay. Experience, above all, is the most important predictor of success.”
In many cases, ACPS surgeons combine fat grafting with other facial rejuvenation procedures to improve additional factors that give the face an aged appearance:
- Sagging skin and facial tissues
- Thinning skin
- Uneven skin tone
- Rough skin texture
To improve these concerns, our doctors may recommend laser skin rejuvenation treatments and/or surgical procedures such as facelift, necklift and eyelid surgery.
Brazilian Butt Lift Surgery Through Fat Grafting
Full, rounded buttocks have become one one of the hottest trends of the decade thanks in part to curvaceous celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Beyoncé who inspired women around the world to enhance their own backsides. Many individuals, despite dieting and exercise, have relative flatness and sagging in the buttocks due to factors such as genetics, weight loss and aging. Others may like the shape of their buttocks, but they want more volume. ACPS doctors customize the Brazilian Butt Lift to fit individual preferences and proportions. They developed a power-assisted form of fat grafting which allows them to safely inject two to three times more fat into the buttocks in minutes compared to the hours it formerly required with the traditional syringe method.
Dr. Germán Newall notes, “To achieve a lasting, good, noticeable change, you have to put in about 800 cubic centimeters of fat, or about three and a half cups per buttock. This much fat allows me to fully contour the buttocks, addressing all of the aspects that create an attractive shape: the projection and fullness of the buttock and how it joins the outer thigh so that a smooth, round contour is sculpted.” Describing the power-assisted fat grafting technique he and his group invented, Dr. Newall noted, “This method allows me to build up the contouring at all levels, including the superficial and deeper layers of the tissues. It has a learning curve, but once it’s mastered, it’s the best.”
Brazilian Butt Lift Surgery and Liposuction
When performing the Brazilian Butt Lift procedure, ACPS surgeons strategically remove fat through liposuction to create beautiful new contours which complement the shapely appearance of the buttocks. ACPS surgeon Dr. Paul Fortes says, “Fat cells can be acquired from just about any donor area where liposuction can be performed. When deciding on the best area, it is good to consider the body proportions in their entirety. If the buttocks are the intended target of the fat grafting, then it makes sense to select the lower back and waistline as the fat donor site. In this case, fat reduction from the lower back and flanks will not only yield a good quality and quantity of fat for fat grafting, but it will also visually enhance the contour of the buttocks even before the fat grafting is performed.
To learn more about our Facial Fat Grafting and Brazilian Butt Lift Surgery, contact us at 713.799.9999.