Dear Dr. Man, As I approach my mid-40s, I have noticed that my cheeks no longer have the plumpness they had when I was younger. I feel that this loss of definition makes me look older than I really am. Does this mean I’m a candidate for plastic surgery, or are there other methods that can be used to restore a youthful look?
Answer: You are actually a candidate for facial rejuvenation that uses your own body fat. The procedure is called “Fat Transfer” and is considered the “Golden Standard” since it uses your own body’s materials to your benefit.
You are right about age affecting facial structure. Cheeks are often associated with youthful beauty and health. They provide balance and help to fill out the middle portion of the face.
I often ask patients to bring in a picture of themselves in their 30s and 40s. In our youth, our cheeks are fuller. As we age, the fat pads that fill out our cheeks and give them their plumpness, change position and fall. They can even flatten out and disappear, giving the face a caved-in or sunken appearance. Once this happens, the supportive or connective tissue beneath the skin erodes and the face becomes thin and flat with little or no definition.
Fat cells form the basic requirements of the secret of all living tissue. They contain our own collagen, elastin fibers, growth factors, (the energy factory cells that help us live longer), our own hormones, and stem cells –the beginning of all our basic cells that continue to divide and give us replacement cells.) Such a wonderful combination of our own living ‘formula’ that can be used again, and again.
Our fat can be stored in a frozen state, reprocessed and reinjected as frequently as necessary until we have ‘rebuilt’ various parts of our face and body, such areas as the chest, breasts, buttocks, and legs.
Using your own body fat has important advantages. It is your own material and is therefore readily available. Also, body fat from the abdomen offers a rich supply of rejuvenating hormones. It also contains collagen and your own body’s stem cells which are very useful for correcting aging of the face and loss of volume in the cheeks, brows and lips and underneath the jaw line.
For this procedure, a plastic surgeon will extract body fat from the abdomen and reinjected into the cheeks, jaw line, lips, brows or areas around the eyes. It is also useful in smoothening deep lines such as those around the mouth or the deep creases of the nasolabial folds or “smile lines.”
Fat is good. Injected fat is long-lasting, 60% for a lifetime, although touch-ups in the future can further enhance the results that have already obtained. Body fat is easily injected and provides a natural look. Patients who have had this procedure report being very pleased with the results.