What is Lipoinjection?
Lipoinjection, also known as fat transfer or fat injection, is a cosmetic surgery procedure performed to take fat from one area of your body and re-inject it into places where it’s needed to fill out deep creases and sunken contours.
What are some Common Uses for Lipoinjection?
Lip Enhancement
Lips can be made fuller and their shape enhanced in either of two ways: permanently with surgery using an implant, long-term with fat injection or temporarily with dermal fillers.
When planning a lip enhancement with lipoinjection we will be looking at the three main ways this procedure can help your facial appearance:
- Shape – lip contours including the “cupid’s bow” of the upper lip
- Structure – the form of the lips
- Volume – fullness or plumpness
- Lip enhancement with lipoinjection in one of the most popular non-surgical, cosmetic procedures used in Europe, North America, South America, and Australia.
Reduction of Facial Lines, Hollows, Creases, and Aging
Lipoinjection can be used to reduce and fill in facial creases, such as laugh lines, smile lines, and crows-feet. Acne scars and sunken areas of the face, lips, and cheeks can also be filled in. This fat transfer procedure can also be used to minimize lines that run between your nose and mouth, correct skin depressions or indentations and minimize forehead wrinkles. Fat transfer is particularly useful for restoring volume loss due to aging or weight loss. Areas that benefit most are the cheeks, under the eyes, temples, and upper eyelids.
Breast Augmentation
If you desire a modest increase in breast size, you are a good candidate for fat grafting to the breast, but your breasts should already have a nice shape and good skin tone. If you have poor skin, sagging breasts, or want a significant increase in breast size, breast augmentation with fat transfer is not for you. The problem with only using fat for breast enhancement lies in getting large volumes of fat to predictably “take.”
Buttock Augmentation
The fat transfer procedure can be used as a surgical procedure to give the patient fuller, more rounded buttocks. This is known as a “Brazilian butt lift”.
Hand Rejuvenation
Lipoinjection of the hands is an effective way of adding volume to wrinkled areas, covering underlying vessels and tendons and improving the quality of the skin. The result is a softer, more youthful look.
What Happens During a Lipoinjection Treatment?
Basic lipoinjection consists of three steps:
1. Fat is removed from a specifically selected place on your body. The location, usually the hips, thighs, or abdomen is injected with local anesthetic. The fat is then extracted using a specially designed cannula. This part of the procedure is called liposuction.
2. Once removed, the fat is processed and purified for transfer to the small syringes that will be used for injecting the fat into its new location.
3. Finally, the fat is carefully injected into the area designated to receive it. This process is repeated until the desired correction has been achieved.
How Safe is Lipoinjection?
This procedure is usually performed without any major problems and significant complications are rare.
Some of the potential complications of all surgeries are:
- Adverse reaction to anesthesia
- Allergic reactions
- Changes in sensation
- Damage to underlying structures
- Hematoma (an accumulation of blood or fluid under the skin that may require removal)
- Infection
- Scarring
- Unsatisfactory results that may necessitate additional procedures
Strictly following the advice and instructions of Dr. Ganchi and his staff, both before and after your fat transfer, can minimize some of these risks.
The Benefits and Results of Lipoinjection
The benefits of lipoinjection can be seen almost immediately after treatment and the procedure and outcome are both very natural since it’s the person’s own fat being used.
The results of fat injection last for many years – longer than any other type of filler currently being used.
Overall, fat injection is an excellent way to enhance the lips, cheeks, temples, hollows under the eyes, buttocks and breasts.
Success with lipoinjection is highly dependent on the surgeon performing the procedure and how well the patient follows post-treatment instructions and care. Otherwise, there is a potential to lose the fat. While this is not dangerous in any way, it can be disappointing.
Dr. Ganchi is a highly educated, Harvard trained, and experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon with the skill and aesthetic sensibilities to give you beautiful results from your lipoinjection procedure. Contact Dr. Ganchi today to schedule a private consultation.
