Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Fat Transfer (Volume Lift SM)

I saw a patient today who is approximately one year out from having malar  implants (cheek implants) placed by another surgeon and was now interested in  improving the transition between the implant and his lower eyelid area. The  primary reason why I do not routinely use hard cheek implants (such as  silastic) is exactly as is the case with this patient today, where the  transition between the borders of the implant and the lower eyelid area can be  abrupt and leave the patient hollowed and even more tired looking than before  the implants were placed; the implants can contribute to the "dark circles"  look under the eyes. This can be easily corrected by filling in the depression  directly above the cheek implant with synthetic fillers such as Restylane, and  can be done in less than an hour in the office and requires only application of  numbing ointment which is very effective. This also provides an immediate  improvement which was very gratifying to the patient today.  There can be  significant bruising associated with this procedure, but this is minimized by  avoiding aspirin, advil, motrin, and any other medicine in the "NSAIDs" class,  as well as vitamin E and fish oil, all of which can thin the blood. Additionally,  we have a V-beam laser which we routinely use to treat bruising so that the  patients can get back to work or social activities much faster. If this patient  had come to me initially for filling of the cheeks, I would have likely  recommended fat transfer for the filling of the cheeks as well as the tear  trough area (the "dark circle area" under the eyes) because I am able to tailor  this to any patient's individual needs, which vary considerably. Using the  patient's own fat is also beneficial because fat is the richest source of stem  cells in the body, and these stem cells seem to improve the quality of the  overlying skin in the months to years after the fat transfer.

For  examples of pre and post procedure pictures ("before and afters") for fat  transfer to the face, please click on this link http://www.cincyfacialplastics.com/Fat_Transfer_01.html.

For  examples of patients who have undergone fillers to the face such as Restylane,  Perlane, Juvederm and Radiesse, please click on this link http://www.cincyfacialplastics.com/Injectable_Fillers_01.html.

Lastly, if you have any questions about any of these procedures, please don't hesitate  to call the office at 513-891-LIFT (5438) or email us at info@cincyfacialplastics.com.