What Does Dr. Yoho Think About Facial Fat as a Facial Filler?
Question:
What do you Think About Using Fat as a Facial Filler?
Answer:
I have the experience of fat transplanting hundreds of patients, in faces, buttocks, and elsewhere. I think that it can be useful in certain cases, but I do have a few problems with it:
- Sometimes it all goes away.
- If the patient gains weight, you can end up with a patient with a really fat face.
- If it is used underneath the lower eyelid in order to fill in the little groove here it can be a real problem because it tends to encapsulate and form a little lump that sometimes grows and sometimes has to be surgically removed through a small incision. Although the cuts in this area heal beautifully in most cases, it is still a hassle to have to remove facial fat.
I also have extensive experience using frozen fat, but after several case reports of severe infections that occurred with other physicians who were using this, I abandoned frozen facial and other frozen fat transplant approaches. This was not my preferred approach in the first place, because frozen fat is dead material, and is not ideal to create a contour that will last in the long-term.
The best fillers in my opinion as of this post are Restylane®, Radiesse®, and injectable silicone. All of these provide certain benefits and certain drawbacks which your Fresno area cosmetic surgeon can explain at the time of your consultation and which are explained at my cosmetic surgery Pasadena website. Most notably, Radiesse frequently causes lumps when placed in the lips and so this is probably not the best use for it.
Based on my experience I feel that facial implants can often solve problems of facial sagging and work better than fillers in many cases, so when you meet with your surgeon be sure that he or she clearly explains the benefits and drawbacks of each of these options for you. See my photo gallery of cheek and chin implant before and after photos to get a better idea of the results these can achieve.
