Fat injections or facial injections are preferred by many to uplift their appearance as it reduces wrinkles as well as lightens acne scarring. They help in making your overall image more youthful as they work towards creating facial fullness, soften facial creases, fill in deep creases, plump up lips and build up shallow contours. So, by taking fat injections, you not only rejuvenate your appearance but also boost your self-confidence. Here’s all that you need to know about fat injections.

Am I an eligible candidate for fat injections?

Fat injections are different from other injectable cosmetic procedures as they involve the use of fat tissues taken from your own body. Due to this, they do not pose any threat of allergic reactions and work well when done in tandem with other types of cosmetic surgery procedures. It may be beneficial for you if-

• You require deep tissue injection or looking for large volume enhancements
• You are overall physically healthy.
• You know exactly what you require in terms of your appearance enhancement and uplift
• You have just begun the process of facial aging

What should I do to prepare myself for fat injections?

When compared with other cosmetic fillers that involve injectables, fat injection procedures are far more extensive. This is particularly because of the inclusion of liposuction procedures to a certain extent for the extraction of fat before the injection. In order to prepare you for such a procedure, your plastic surgeon may prescribe certain prerequisites-

• A complete medical evaluation or lab tests
• If you are a smoker, they may ask you to completely quit smoking months in advance
• Adjust your current medications or add some new ones
• Steer clear of anti-inflammatory drugs, aspirin, and herbal supplements as they may increase the risk of bleeding

What can I expect from a fat injection procedure?

A fat injection procedure takes approximately 30 to 60 minutes to complete. It could also take more time as it depends on the volume that needs to be injected and the patient involved. The total time also varies if additional procedures are performed at the same time. Your plastic surgeon extracts fat from certain parts of your body, usually the abdomen or the hips, with the help of a needle. They may also withdraw fat by using a special suction cannula with a technique similar to that used during liposuction. Once they are in possession of adequate fat from the preferred areas of your body, it is put under a purification process. This is done with the help of a centrifuge where the fat is spun and impurities removed. This processed fat is then injected with a needle in those areas where you need augmentation. The process essentially involves the needle going in and out of the specific area several times creating a grid of fat grafted threads.

What can I expect after completion of a fat injection procedure?

Fat injections usually show immediate results, even more, augmented initially due to all the swelling after your procedure. This swelling, however, will alleviate with time and the true results will manifest in roughly three or four months. Moreover, you may also find that you are losing fat from the injected areas as they get absorbed back into the body when it metabolizes the fat. If you want more long-lasting results, a good plastic surgeon will prescribe more follow-up consults.

How safe are fat injections?

As all surgical procedures are known to involve a certain percentage of risks, fat injections also come with their share of possible complications such as fat embolism, bruising, swelling, infection, fatty cysts, etc. However, these are preventable if you follow the pre and post-operative instructions from your doctor to the letter.

How is the road to recovery?

One of the biggest reasons Fat injection procedures are opted for by many is because of the minimal downtime that it involves. People who undergo this cosmetic treatment usually get back to their routine life soon after it. Although you cannot completely write off the possibility of bruising, redness, or swelling, these usually last just a few weeks. In case your plastic surgeon includes other procedures as well such as liposuction to your fat injection or if the amount of fat removed from the donor area is significant, the recovery time may get stretched. During the time you are recuperating, you should keep out of the sun completely and also protect and disguise the effects of the procedure with the help of makeup that gives UV protection.

If you are interested in fat injections at Shah Plastic Surgery, you can contact us to schedule an appointment with Dr. Nilay Shah.