As we age, our dermis thins, facial skin loosens, and wrinkles develop. There are several alternatives to treat the aging face. If a patient is not interested in a face lift, but wants a long lasting result, the two alternatives are:
- laser resurfacing
- regenerative fat grafts
What is the difference between these two techniques? A LOT! In summary, laser resurfacing technologies destroy tissue (which the body repairs), while fat grafting (fat injections) builds up and regenerates tissues. Most lasers shoot a high energy beam which vaporizes cells, whereas fat grafting techniques mobilize teams of repair cells to bring more blood supply and nutrients to your face.
I believe that stem cell enhanced fat grafting offers an advantage to lasers currently being used by plastic surgeons and dermatologists. Fat grafts are the most natural way to get a long lasting youthful rejuvenation of your face. Fat grafting is your own Fountain of Youth.
How do lasers work to tighten the skin?
With laser, a beam of energy is used to obliterate layers in the epidermis and dermis beneath your skin. The cells in those layers are totally vaporized. Once that layer has been destroyed the body sends a signal to repair. Your body repairs the tissue by forming a scar (or “building collagen”) in the destroyed tissue layer. The scar which forms beneath the skin has the effect of tightening the skin and and adding a little mass to the subcutaneous tissues. However, this does come at the expense of scar tissue and reduction of the dermal layer which gives structure to the skin.
Another problem with laser occurs when a patient loses weight following laser resurfacing treatment. I have seen some patients have a collapse of the structure of the dermis in the face. As the patients loses her own fat, which provided structural support, the laser treated skin sometimes does not hold up well. Fortunately, I have been able to offer these patients fat grafting, which restructures the dermis and adds volume back to the face.
So what is fat grafting and why is it considered a regenerative technique?
Fat grafting harnesses the power of stem cells that occur naturally in your own fat. These naturally occurring fat stem cells are carefully extracted by liposuction from unwanted areas, processed with minimal manipulation, and then reinjected during the same operative session into areas that need rejuvenation. The stem cell enriched fat restores volume and youthful fullness to your face. The naturally occurring stem cells in your own adipose fat tissue, or ADSC’s, make new blood vessels which bring blood supply and nourishment to your aging skin.
Fat grafting is a natural way to restore volume and a youthful glow to the aging face. I use fat grafting as a stand alone procedure and also in combination with the face lift procedure. An added bonus with fat grafting is that the skin continues to improve months after the surgery. The newly created blood vessels in the fat graft continue to re-energize the tissue with a new source of nutrients.
Ricardo L Rodriguez
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
*Read more about adipose derived stem cells and the future of plastic surgery.
**How long do fat transfers last?
![[del.icio.us]](http://www.cosmeticsurg.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://www.cosmeticsurg.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://www.cosmeticsurg.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Google]](http://www.cosmeticsurg.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[kirtsy]](http://www.cosmeticsurg.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/kirtsy.png)
![[Mixx]](http://www.cosmeticsurg.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/mixx.png)
![[Reddit]](http://www.cosmeticsurg.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/reddit.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://www.cosmeticsurg.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Technorati]](http://www.cosmeticsurg.net/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
Face
Breast
Body
Butt
Fat Stem Cells
Testimonials
General
Out of Town
Chinese Plastic Surgery
Celebrity Plastic Surgery
9 Comments
July 29, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Elle:
Subcutaneous fat loss can be caused by many things, amongst them hormonal changes, ageing, etc. I do suspect the lipoatrophy can be caused by the Laser, but I have not heard of any experimental data to back this up. If you know of any studies, I’d love to know about it.
In any case, why go with a destructive technique (laser) when you can go with the body’s own regenerative powers?
Thanks for your feedback!
July 19, 2010 at 12:06 am
The weight loss following laser that you mention is not normal weight loss but lipoatrophy caused by the laser. The same type of fat loss that some HIV medications cause as a side effect. It ages the skin in a short time.
Thank you for this post! Very informative.
June 29, 2010 at 10:03 am
Dr. Wright:
It is a pleasure to hear that other Plastic Surgeons read my blog.
BTW you curriculum vitae is super solid and I commend you for it.
I wish you all the success in the world!
June 28, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Thanks for sharing the video and speaking about the differences between Laser and Grafting.
May 16, 2010 at 8:35 pm
Thank you so much! I sounds much better than I was thinking as far as the recovery. I will be in touch.
Sincerley,
Bridget
May 16, 2010 at 8:29 pm
Bridget:
The procedure IS great!
As far as the recovery time, I don’t think you have to worry about “not to raise your BP or HR”. Just keep your head above the level of the heart for the first week or as to allow for drainage. For the first 7-10 days, you will be very swollen. Most patients tell me they look like a chipmunk. But relax, the swelling will go down and by the third week you will be back to normal.
As far as working out, you will be fine to do so by postoperative day 7 to 10.
Call Kelly at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net for more info. Go for it!
May 14, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Hi Dr.
This procedure sounds great. I am very interested and I have been reading so much about it. I am confussed though about the recovery time? I am an avid walker/runner which I do for about 1 1/2 hours 4 days per week. I hear it is very important not to raise your BP or HR. for several weeks! (That seems like a lot to ask of someone who works out with any consistancy) I realize you need to follow the rules though…. What do you recommend for success after fat injections to cheeks and nasal folds?
April 18, 2010 at 12:17 am
Joan:
This procedure is entirely legal. The stem cells are your own. The treatment, when well done, lasts for a lifetime.
Although a lot of patients have this done under IV sedation, quite a number do it under local anesthesia. The most important thing aboutr the stem cells is that they truly rejuvenate your skin, new cells are generated by the stem cells.
Contact Kelly at kelly@cosmeticsurg.net, she’ll give you details.
We’d love to hear from you!
April 17, 2010 at 1:08 am
Hi, I am very intersted in this new procedure. Is the legal in USA? I read about Fat Grafts & Stem Cells before, how long does this treament last on the ‘face’? What are the possible risks? Without having general anesthesia, what is the cost to have this procedure done on the face? Thanking you in advance, Joan