Which should I do for my aging face: fat graft or facelift?
Facial aging is comprised of deflation and sagging. Deflation is well addressed with fat grafting. Fat transfer – moving fat from another part of the body like the abdomen, thighs or waist to a deflated body region – is a great tool in the face to restore fullness to the cheek and lips, and to fill folds around the nose, mouth and chin. One might even see improvement in dark circles under the eyes. Fat transfer may even be performed under local anesthetic alone.
Sagging in the face is responsive to surgical facelift. Facelift surgery lifts skin and underlying facial support to counteract gravity that occurs with time. Facelift is the gold standard, “tried and true” plastic surgical “go to” procedure. Scars are well hidden around the ears and sometimes under the chin or in the hairline. Results should be refreshed, not windblown. Facelift surgery is best performed under anesthesia in which the patient sleeps through the procedure and is outpatient surgery.
Fat transfer and facelift are not mutually exclusive procedures, and may be performed in conjunction with each other to achieve the best possible rejuvenated result. If you are interested in learning more about these procedures and how you might qualify, please check out drshermak.com, or schedule an appointment with Dr. Shermak at 410-616-3000.
