The Best Method For Naturally Restoring Lost Facial Volume

As we go through the aging process, the face tends to naturally lose volume, resulting in sagging skin and a hollow appearance. Fine lines and wrinkles are other common issues that form as the skin makes less collagen and fat is lost from the cheeks.  

Popular facial rejuvenation treatments use fillers like hyaluronic acid or calcium hydroxylapatite. These chemicals are injected into select regions of the face, like the cheeks, smile lines, or forehead. These methods provide a temporary fix that lasts up to a year. 

While many fillers are available to restore facial volume, people are now seeking natural ways that help achieve a more youthful look. Furthermore, patients are increasingly interested in longer-term solutions that do not require frequent touch-ups. 

In this article, we'll address the question of how to restore volume to the face naturally, touching on the most effective solution currently available: fat injections as dermal fillers. 

Fat Injections: A Natural Way to Fill the Face

Fat injection dermal fillers have become a popular way to increase volume in the face. This treatment first collects fat using liposuction or a similar method, then transfers the fat to the face gently. 

Because fat comes from your own body rather than a synthetic chemical, there is a reduced risk of an adverse reaction to the filler material. The results are permanent after a small amount of fat is naturally reabsorbed, which occurs with all fat transfers. 

An additional benefit of this procedure is that they have a rejuvenating effect on the surrounding areas thanks to the stem cell-rich fat collected during the harvesting step. This material also helps stimulate collagen production in the face and helps to increase blood flow to desired regions.  

How Do Fat Transfers to the Face Work?

A fat transfer, also called a fat graft, refers to a treatment that extracts fat from one region of the body, then uses that same fat to add volume to another area. 

At AirSculpt, your treatment will be customized according to your specific body goals. If you want to focus only on contouring the face, we can remove a tiny amount of fat from almost any area. Those looking to achieve a more dramatic change can remove larger amounts of fat from places like the belly or thighs simultaneously with their facial rejuvenation. 

Fat transfers can restore lost volume to the hands, hips, breasts, buttocks, and, more recently, the face. By filling the face with natural fat, you will often enjoy a dramatic lifting effect and a reduction of wrinkles and other fine lines. 

1. Fat Removal: This procedure begins with a liposuction technique performed by your plastic surgeon. The innovative AirSculpt technique removes fat cell-by-cell through tiny freckle-sized entry points, reducing discomfort, scarring, and damage to fat cells while enhancing the surgeon's artistic sculpting ability. The entry points are so small that scalpels are not even needed to make them. 

2. Fat Processing: The surgeon will carefully process the fat with a simple technique that ensures only viable, high-quality material is injected into the face. This step reduces the amount of fat reabsorbed naturally after any fat graft and enhances the natural restorative effects of this treatment. 

3. Fat Transfer: The surgeon uses specialized syringes to inject the processed fat into select areas. Downtime lasts 48 hours on average with the AirSculpt fat transfer method, and results should appear almost right away as swelling subsides. 

What Areas of the Face Can Be Treated With Fat Injections?

Here at AirSculpt, our facial fat transfer procedure can be performed in the following areas: 

• Smile lines

• Marionette lines

• Cheeks

• Lips

• Temples

• Jawline/Chin

Fat Injection Before and After Photos

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by AirSculpt at EliteBodySculpture (@airsculpt)

As seen in these before and after examples of fat injections, these patients achieved dramatic results only one-week post-op. As the fat settles and natural collagen production ramps up, results will become even more pronounced and, better yet, will not fade with time!

Benefits of Fat Injections

Fat makes for an ideal filler for various reasons, primarily because it is a natural material from your body. Beyond addressing facial volume loss, once the fat settles and establishes blood supply, it becomes naturally living tissue in your face. This feature helps rejuvenate the face and eliminate blemishes or undesired elements. 

Here are some key advantages of fat injections as a natural way to fill the face.

Lasting Results: Unlike hyaluronic acid fillers that require frequent touch-ups, fat injection results are long-lasting.

Fat Loss: You'll enjoy the combined benefit of removing fat from the area you use as a harvest site and a rejuvenated face.

Precision: Fat injections can insert exact amounts to restore a symmetrical, natural look.

All-Natural: There is no risk of hypersensitivity reactions that can occur with other fillers because your fat cells are used.

Improved Skin Quality: Fat is living tissue, meaning it provides a rejuvenation effect by improving tissue quality in addition to volume restoration. Once the fat takes, blood flow increases to surrounding tissues, increasing the amount of vital nutrients in the face that help to improve skin condition.

Risks of Fat Transfer to the Face

As with any minimally invasive procedure, potential risks include bruising, swelling, necrosis, scar tissue formation, and possible infection. 

This procedure is always done with local anesthesia, meaning you will stay fully awake. Downtime lasts a couple of days, which is typically longer than with other fillers. Finally, because some fat gets reabsorbed, there is a degree of uncertainty regarding the final result. That said, the AirSculpt Lift's gentle and precise technique reduces the chances of such outcomes.