Facial Fat Grafting (Autologous Fat Transfer) in Southern California

Rapidly improving procedures and techniques in plastic surgery are opening new vistas for aesthetic enhancement to a wider variety of people.

Younger and older people than ever before are taking advantage of financing options to rejuvenate their look with minimally invasive procedures like Facial Fat Grafting (Autologous Fat Transfer). Facial fat grafting is an all-natural alternative to dermal fillers like Juvéderm.

You can treat the signs of aging with fat harvested from your own body. Lines, wrinkles, and sunken areas of the face can be made to appear supple and youthful once more. 

Dr. Sean Younai is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, the Mount Olympus of cosmetic enhancement. He serves the communities of Encino, Glendale and Bakersfield, CA, as well. Many of his patients also travel from out-of-state to experience their transformations at the masterful hands of Dr. Younai at his California Center for Plastic Surgery. Contact the Center to learn more about the life-changing procedures that may be available to you.    

Before and After Photos

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What is Facial Fat Grafting?

A lot of us are trying to lose extra fat from unwanted areas, like the belly, thighs, and love handles. Why not put it to good use? The amount of fat that is harvested from your body is not enough to make a significant impact on your figure, but using your body’s own material for cosmetic enhancement has many advantages. 

Dr. Younai can treat deep nasolabial folds, lower eyelid hollows, forehead wrinkles, and frown lines effectively with facial fat grafting. And the autologous fat from your own body is far less likely to cause allergic reactions. In fact, there are active cells in your fat that may have rejuvenating effects of their own. Facial fat grafting achieves long-lasting results safely. And since it’s minimally invasive, you can treat moderate signs of aging without the cost or commitment of our more comprehensive surgical procedures, like a facelift.^[1]

Three Steps of Facial Fat Grafting

How Does Facial Fat Grafting Work?

Depending on the scope of your particular procedure—and the actual amount of fat being transferred—facial fat grafting may take up to two hours. Autologous fat transfer is a three-step process.  

Harvesting the Fat

You and Dr. Younai will have selected the viable harvest zones during your personal consultation. These zones usually include the thighs or belly. As it is a relatively simple procedure, many patients only require local anesthesia. By way of a small incision, Dr. Younai will harvest living fat cells using a cannula. Cannulas are most frequently employed in Liposuction. They are narrow, wand-like devices that connect to a larger machine that supplies negative pressure. The fat cells are carefully removed on jets of gentle suction. 

Purifying the Fat

Once they’ve been gathered, the fat cells are spun in a centrifuge. Centrifugal force acts to separate the fat from impurities. The doctor will prepare a series of syringes or cannulas for the final step of the process.       

Fat Grafting Injections 

Your face is numbed with local anesthesia. Dr. Younai or one of the talented medical professionals from the California Center for Plastic Surgery will begin injecting the autologous fat into the areas targeted for volumization. It is often necessary to make multiple passes to achieve the desired results. With each pass, your doctor will implant a line of fatty tissue. The process continues until wrinkles and sunken areas are sufficiently filled in.   

Your Personal Consultation at Dr. Younai’s Practice 

Dr. Younai requires a personal consultation with any prospective patient seeking services at the California Center for Plastic Surgery. During your private, one-on-one consultation, you will receive detailed information on facial fat grafting to help you understand the procedure and set realistic expectations. 

You will also obtain other useful pre-op insights, like surgery preparation and aftercare instructions. The information exchange is mutual, as your attending doctor will also learn your medical history and current lifestyle to determine if you are an ideal candidate for the procedure. 

 Ideal Candidates for Facial Fat Grafting 

Dr. Younai only accepts ideal candidates at the California Center for Plastic Surgery. This ensures a safe, speedy surgery that will produce the desired outcomes. Autologous fat transfer requires ample harvest zones to provide a healthy amount of grafting material.

Ideal candidates are concerned about the signs of aging and feel empowered to do something about it.      

Ideal candidates tend to be physically active non-smokers whose recovery will not be complicated by the effects of a heavy prescription medication regimen. None of these factors is a disqualifier per se. Dr. Younai views each case holistically and makes judgments based on the totality of the circumstances. 

Your Recovery From Facial Fat Grafting

Injection sites will typically appear red and swollen in the days immediately following the procedure. Bruising may occur. To avoid bruising, you should avoid strenuous physical activities until the swelling has gone down. This usually takes about five days. 

As a minimally invasive procedure, recovery time from facial fat grafting is relatively short if you follow Dr. Younai’s individualized aftercare instructions. 

Fat Reabsorption in Autologous Fat Transfer

Facial fat grafting can have fewer complications than injections or prosthetics. However, fat transfer’s stunning results can be somewhat muted as some of the grafted fat may be reabsorbed over time. Watch your results carefully. The effects of facial fat grafting remain long-lasting.

Contact Dr. Younai with any follow-up questions about the degree of volumization you can expect in the long term.

Facial Fat Grafting vs. Dermal Fillers

Facial fat grafting is an all-natural alternative to the traditional dermal fillers that have become popular in medspas. Both are employed for the same purpose: to reduce wrinkles and fill deep creases by providing volume to the face. 

Since dermal fillers are made of a manufactured substance that is injected into the skin, the effects are temporary. Some patients may not qualify for dermal fillers because of the risk of an allergic reaction. 

Allergic reactions are not a concern with facial fat grafting because it uses your own tissue. Though some of your fat may be reabsorbed after the procedure, dampening its results, the remaining fullness is long-lasting and does not require repeated visits to maintain.^[2]     

Benefits of Facial Fat Grafting vs. Dermal Fillers

Facial Fat Grafting vs. Facelift 

The California Plastic Surgery Center is well-equipped to combat advanced signs of aging. Dr. Younai is a skilled plastic surgeon who has performed our Facelift procedure for hundreds of satisfied patients. A facelift, or rhytidectomy, is a comprehensive surgical procedure in which the doctor pulls the loose, lax skin around the face of an aging patient back and up. Excess skin is cut away. 

The effects of a facelift are dramatic and long-lasting.

Not everyone is ready for surgery. Dermal fillers and facial fat grafting are far less invasive ways to treat moderate signs of aging. If you’re not ready to commit to the time and recovery required for surgery, consider these less invasive methods as an intermediate step on your aesthetic journey.^[3]   

Benefits of Facial Fat Grafting vs. Facelift

Cost and Financing

The benefits of plastic surgery and other aesthetic procedures have never been more available. Our financing options put your dreams within your reach. Many people will finance their cars and electronic devices without even thinking of it. So why not invest in the ride you can’t trade in—your own beautiful body!  

Facial fat grafting will take years off your appearance. It is a safe, speedy and minimally invasive procedure.

Autologous fat transfer effectively treats deep nasolabial folds, lower eyelid hollows, forehead wrinkles and frown lines without the cost and commitment of more comprehensive surgical procedures.  

Dr. Sean Younai accepts CareCredit, which has been helping people pay for healthcare since 1987. Contact the California Plastic Surgery Center to learn more about the costs of our procedures and your financing options. 

Dr. Sean Younai Will Restore Your Youth in Southern California 

References 

1. Simonacci, F., Bertozzi, N., Grieco, M. P., Grignaffini, E., & Raposio, E. (2017). Procedure, applications, and outcomes of autologous fat grafting. Annals of Medicine and Surgery, 20, 49–60.
2. Pavicic, T., & Funt, D. (2013). Dermal fillers in aesthetics: an overview of adverse events and treatment approaches. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 295.
3. Park, D. M. (2015). Total Facelift: Forehead Lift, Midface Lift, and Neck Lift. Archives of Plastic Surgery, 42(2), 111.