If you would like to fight the aging process there are non-surgical rejuvenating procedures, such as dermal fillers, like collagen and Restylane® injections or autologous fat grafting, also known as fat transfer. The results are comparable to those after the surgical procedure, however they are less invasive and there is a small number of possible complications.
Fat transfer is often suggested as an alternative to dermal fillers and cheek implants. Most of plastic surgeons believes that it is a better method, more natural, and as it uses a patients own fat, retrieved from other part of the body there is no risk the material will not be tolerated or that there will be an allergic reaction to it.
First a liposuction procedure needs to be performed in a different area with excess fat, then the fat is filtered and cleaned before the transfer. The procedure is quite short and require only local anaesthetic. However, as it is fat, there is a change that it may be completely absorbed within the first couple of months. If it doesn’t absorb, though, the effect is permanent, while the results achieved with dermal fillers last about 4-6 months. In order to achieve even better effect, the procedure may be repeated after half a year.
Apart from being the most natural, and effective, if it grafts, fat is also the softest material, therefore it’s perfect as a lip augmentation filler. What is more, as it is taken from a patients body, the amount of this filler is only limited by how much fat a patient can spare, therefore it is more economical than other fillers. And if it turns out that too much fat was taken during a single procedure, this material may be stored until the next session. Moreover, the recovery period is much shorter than in case of other fillers. Complete recovery takes about 24-72 hours.