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Facial Fat Transfer in Houston, TX
Facial Fat Transfer is one of the fastest-growing cosmetic procedures because of its natural results and longevity. As we age, we lose facial fat and become more gaunt, resulting in deflated and sagging facial tissue. Those who seek to replenish the volume loss with fillers dislike the doughy and puffy appearance that too much filler imparts. Award-winning, facial plastic surgery expert, Dr. Sean Delaney can restore a more youthful and natural appearance by restoring facial volume using your own fat with Facial Fat Transfer for a more natural result without the puffiness and longer lasting re-volumization that lasts longer than fillers.
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What Is Facial Fat Transfer?
Facial Fat Transfer, also known as Facial Fat Grafting, is a minimally invasive cosmetic procedure that uses your own fat from the body to restore volume and improve facial hollowing caused by aging, weight loss, or sagging skin. Because you are using your own tissue and Dr. Delaney creates an individualized treatment plan for each patient, your results look very natural.
When it comes to aesthetics, fat is a double-edged sword. Too much fat means bulges and rolls, but too little creates hollows and emptiness. This is especially true for facial appearance. A youthful face is dependent on fat, but as aging progresses, these fat deposits shift and atrophy, creating many of the telltale signs of aging.
Facial Fat Transfer helps to reverse or reduce the natural effect that aging has on the face using the patient’s own fat. In effect, it can add fullness, reduce lines and improve facial contours.
Dr. Delaney uses purified fat extracted from your own body usually from the thighs or abdomen. Fat is harvested using a gentle liposuction technique immediately before it is purified and transfer to the desired treatment areas of the face. Roughly up to 50-60% of the initial volume of grafted fat survives and a touch-up procedure may be required. There are a few small sutures at the donor site which are removed after a week.
The fat is permanent once the fat “takes,” meaning it is supplied with blood at the recipient site. This process takes about 4 months. Fat transfer to the face typically has a higher survival rate than the body, especially in areas that don’t move as much, such as the cheeks or temple. The aging process continues after the procedure, but patients enjoy a more youthful appearance for many years.
This procedure is performed in our beautiful AAAHC accredited surgical suite under IV Sedation or under local anesthesia.
Facial Fat Transfer with Facelift and Chin Implant
Facial Fat Transfer
Am I a good candidate for Facial Fat Transfer Surgery?
Facial fat transfer benefits individuals who begin to experience facial volume loss, which typically begins in our 30s. This procedure can also help individuals who have loss significant weight as a result of dieting and exercise or Semaglutide. Fat transfer restores volume in the face, and it’s ideal for people who are looking for more long-term alternative to dermal filler treatments. Of course, candidates for fat transfer must have enough fat on their body that can be harvested for the transfer.
Why should I select Dr. Delaney for my Facial Fat Transfer surgery?
What sets apart double-board certified, facial plastic surgeon Dr. Sean Delaney apart from other Houston plastic surgeons can be described in the combination of his unparalleled training, advanced surgical techniques, artistic perspective, and devotion to the highest level of patient care throughout your aesthetic journey. With his training in both Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and Facial Plastic Surgery, he is intimately familiar with the anatomy of the face, which allows him to perform facial fat transfer more effectively and safely.
Dr. Delaney has been named a Texas Rising Star by Super Doctors and Top Doctor in Castle Connolly in plastic surgery. When you undergo Facial Fat Transfer surgery with Dr. Delaney, you have the peace of mind of knowing that an experienced and well-respected facial plastic specialist is overseeing your care from start to finish.
What can I expect
from a Facial Fat Transfer Consultation at FPSA?
Our Facial Fat Transfer consultations are comprehensive, you can expect to be with us for an hour or so. When you first arrive, a Team FPSA member will take your photograph at multiple angles and will also review your medical history and patient information forms with you.
During your Facial Fat Transfer consultation, Dr. Delaney will ask you what bothers you about your lips and your overall facial features and what you would like to see changed. You will have the opportunity to share all your questions and concerns with Dr. Delaney during your consultation. In addition, one of our patient concierges will accompany you every step of the way as your guide throughout your consultation. Your concierge will review before and after photos, educational materials, provide you with an estimate for your individualized treatment plan, and answer questions you may have prior to booking your surgery.
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What can I expect right after Facial Fat Transfer Surgery?
The face will be quite swollen in the initial week following facial fat transfer due to the inflammation caused by the procedure itself, swelling from the injected local anesthetics and inflammation caused by the transferred fat itself. Typically about 50% to 60% of the transferred fat survives, so over the ensuing weeks the facial swelling will subside considerably as the swelling resolves and the face absorbs the non-viable fat graft. Mesenchymal stems cells introduced during the fat transfer can sometimes stimulate a second boost in facial volume about 2 to 3 months after the procedure. Because of this secondary boost that can occur and the fact that sometimes the fat graft survival rate can be higher than 60%, we do not routinely over-fill our patients, because that practice may result in an “over-filled” and unnatural appearance. The final fat transfer result takes about 4 months. At this time, additional fat grafting may be performed, if desired.
Following a facial fat transfer, you will be seen the very next day in our office for your first post-operative visit. You should sleep on your back with your head slightly elevated for the first week after surgery.
Our patients often comment that the overall discomfort is far less than they expected. Most patients feel very little pain immediately after surgery but may experience some soreness later in the evening or the next day or so. We have found that most patients can manage discomfort levels with Tylenol, but we also prescribe stronger medication for pain management.
Dr. Delaney will monitor the healing during your post-operative visits. Fat donor site sutures used during surgery will be removed at a week.
How long is the recovery time for Facial Fat Transfer Surgery?
Recovery time from Facial Fat Transfer surgery varies from patient to patient, but it can generally take 4–6 weeks for a full recovery. The initial phase of recovery, when the swelling is most noticeable, can last 1–2 weeks. During this time, you can expect bruising and swelling, and you should avoid massaging the injection sites.
You can usually resume most daily activities 1 week after surgery, but you should avoid strenuous exercise or vigorous exertion for the first three weeks. You should also avoid smoking or chewing tobacco, and you shouldn’t take aspirin or anti-inflammatory compounds.
Can I combine Facial Fat Transfer with other procedures?
Many patients like to take advantage of the opportunity to have just one recovery period and pair up both surgical and non-surgical procedures. Facial Fat Transfer is commonly combined with Facelift or CO2 laser skin resurfacing procedures as well as non-surgical procedures such as FaceTite and Morpheus8. Patients can have the combined procedures performed in the same day.
Before Surgery
What do I need to do before surgery?
It is recommended that you stop using hyaluronic fillers at least one year prior to having Facial Fat Transfer surgery or have facial filler dissolved at least 3 weeks prior to surgery.
With any surgical procedure, it is necessary to avoid any medications or supplements that may thin the blood two weeks before and two weeks after your Facial Fat Transfer surgery. Our clinical staff will review instructions relating to medications and supplements at your pre-operative appointment.
We recommend that patients avoid alcohol for two weeks prior to and after your surgery. You should maintain a healthy diet and avoid salt, fatty foods and processed sugar. We recommend taking Arnica, Bromelain, and Vitamin C supplements 5 days before the surgery and 1 week following surgery to reduce bruising, inflammation and to expedite healing. Some patients consume pineapple for the anti-inflammatory effect of its naturally occurring Bromelain. It is also very important to avoid significant sun exposure. Dr. Delaney does not operate on patients who smoke, chew tobacco, vape or take illicit drugs prior to or at the time of surgery, as these activities have a detrimental effect to the healing process.
When is my pre-operative appointment?
Your pre-op appointment will take place two to three weeks before your surgery. We strive to make this appointment as stress free as possible. At this appointment, you will receive pre-operative and post-operative instructions, review and sign consents, take pre-operative photos, and make final payment. You will also receive the list of your prescriptions. Most of our patients find that using our Capsule Pharmacy service in advance of the pre-op is quite convenient because all prescriptions will be delivered to our office and ready for you at the pre-op appointment.
At this appointment patients also like to select skincare products appropriate for pre-operative and post-operative skin health and optimal healing.
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Day Of Surgery
What happens on the day of surgery?
Dr. Sean Delaney and the entire FPSA Team provide patients with an exceptional surgical experience in our beautiful practice environment. Our patients enjoy the comfort, ease and convenience of having Facial Fat Transfer surgery at our fully accredited AAAHC surgical center under IV Sedation or Local Anesthesia.
Facial Fat Transfer surgery typically takes around 1.5 to 2 hours, including taking fat from the donor site, to complete depending on the amount of areas selected for the transfer. We ask that you arrive at our facility approximately 1.5 hrs prior to your surgical start time. You should have nothing to eat or drink (not even water, candy, or gum) after midnight the night before your procedure. You should wear a button-up top or loose-fitting clothing to allow you to change easily without placing unnecessary pressure or stress on the facial area and the donor site. You will need an adult driver on the day of your surgery to bring you to the surgery center and to take you home and a responsible adult to care for you the first 24 hours after surgery.
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What is the difference between Facial Fat Transfer and Filler?
Volume loss is a common facial aging concern but can be treated with Facial Fat Transfer or Dermal Fillers. Facial Fat Transfer is a surgical procedure that uses a patient’s own fat to restore facial volume and offers a longer lasting result than fillers. A typical dermal filler treatment is a non-surgical treatment that may last up to 12 months. Facial Fat Transfer has the potential to offer much longer-termed improvement for 5 to 10 years in most patients.
Another more permanent option for restoring volume loss is Facial Implant surgery, which providers a permanent, three-dimenional volume augmentation in specific regions, such as the chin, cheek or temple.
What are the risks of Facial Fat Transfer?
Common side effects of a facial fat transfer are bruising and swelling, a feeling of numbness or altered sensation in the fat-filled areas. This is usually temporary. Bleeding and infection are uncommon. The fat donor sites may feel slightly irregular or lumpy in the week after the procedure, but this typically resolves on its own as the remaining fat smoothens out and redistributes evenly.
Fully Accredited
On-Site Surgical Facility
Dr, Sean Delaney, Dr. Russell Kridel and Team FPSA provide patients with an exceptional surgical experience at our AAAHC accredited on-site operating facility. Our patients enjoy the comfort, ease and convenience of having surgical and medical aesthetic procedures in our beautiful practice environment. Facial Plastic Surgery Associates’ operating room has been certified by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC). Accreditation by this highly regarded, independent organization ensures that our in-office operating room meets the highest quality of standards and safety. This accreditation is similar to the process completed for out-patient surgical facilities associated with hospital systems.
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