The cheeks are often associated with youthful beauty and health. They provide balance and help to fill out the middle portion of the face. In our youth, our cheeks are fuller. As we age, the fat pads that fill out our cheeks and give them their plumpness, change position and fall. They can even flatten out and disappear, giving the face a caved-in or sunken appearance. Once this happens, the supportive or connective tissue beneath the skin erodes and the face becomes thin and flat with little or no definition. Deep depressions, smile lines, and wrinkles appear.
There are several ways to resculpt the face and fill out the cheeks. Fat injections (also called liposculpture) use the patient's own fat to fill in areas of the face. Fat can be combined with Body Glue to enhance results. Other options include collagen injections, and the use of soft filler materials (implants) such as AlloDerm, Fascian, Gortex and Softform.
Fat is an excellent choice as a filler material for facial rejuvenation for four main reasons:
It originates from a patient's own body and there is little or no chance of infection;
It can be harvested from multiple sites and stored for future use;
It is easily injected back and provides a natural look, and
New advances in harvesting and transferring fat have contributed to its long-term success including centrifuging it to reduce fluid in the transplanted fat and combining it with Body Glue to give it a better take.
The Procedure
How is fat harvested? The procedure is performed using a syringe and the tumescent technique. A donor site is selected from an area of the body, such as the hips, stomach, arms, thighs or other area, then a tiny incision is made and a needle inserted withdrawing the donor fat and filling the syringe. Next, the fat is collected into a larger syringe for re-injection into the body. The procedure can be repeated in the future in order to build up more volume, and to compensate for some of the fat that is absorbed by the body.
Collagen
Collagen is a natural protein substance produced by the body. It helps to form our connective tissue giving our skin its strength, and, it also acts to bind water keeping the skin hydrated. As we age the number of collagen fibers decrease, causing the skin to loose its elasticity.
As with fat injections, collagen injections can be used to fill in lines and give the skin a plumper, smoother, more youthful-looking appearance. When injected beneath the skin, collagen plumps up lines and wrinkles and adds fullness to sunken areas of the face.
Prior to treatment the doctor will ask about your medical history, allergies and then perform a simple skin test to rule out allergic reactions. Collagen injections can be performed alone or in conjunction with other cosmetic procedures such as laser skin resurfacing or facelifts. The injections contain local anesthesia and take only minutes in the doctor's office. Risks, though not common, include allergic reaction, infection, and skin irregularity. Collagen injections are not permanent and can be repeated.
Other Common Fillers
Other filler materials include non-synthetic materials such as Alloderm, Fascian, Softform and Gortex. Alloderm and Fascian are made of collagen and other protein-like substances taken from the human body. Like fat, they can be used to fill in or plump up facial features and other areas of the body. Gortex and Softform are synthetic fillers.
AlloDerm is a supportive tissue made from the same material as the connective tissue in the human skin. Originally used as a skin replacement for burn patients, AlloDerm is recognized for its benefits providing a natural looking soft tissue replacement. Once the AlloDerm implant is in place, it gradually becomes a part of your body.
Another soft tissue filler is called Fascian. Fascian is made from fascia, the thick, white connective tissue that makes up the human body and connects muscles, bones and organs giving them support. Since fascia is naturally thick, it can take the body several months to absorb and is eventually incorporated into the body's own connective tissue, producing a layer of connective tissue that appears and functions similarly to the body's original fascia.
Gortex is a synthetic filler made from materials similar to those used in manufacturing clothing such as parkas. It provides a strong thread like material which is inserted underneath the skin to fill in nasolabial lines and depressed areas of the face, and to increase the volume of the lips.
Softform, similar to Gortex, is a tube-like filler that is injected under the skin to give volume to the face, including the nasolabial lines, depressed lines, lips and other areas. It is considered a permanent filler that reduces deep furrows and provides structure and support beneath the skin. The downside of Softform and Gortex is their palpability. The patient can sometimes feel them.
Dr. Man's office is located directly across from Boca Raton Community Hospital at 851 Meadows Road, Suite 222, Boca Raton, Florida 33486, phone number 1-800-232-5508.
