A contoured and voluminous facial structure not only gives you a chiseled appearance, but also adds heaps of confidence to your self-image. But it is also common to have facial features that are marred by a sunken look, wrinkles and fine lines, as well as skin folds. This can happen due to factors such as age, genetics, or weight loss.
With facial fat grafting and dermal fillers in Hartford, CT, you can easily resolve these concerns to attain your ideal appearance. This allows you to obtain the youthful glow that you need, while also getting a facial structure that looks as appealing as you feel.
But learning how to choose between fat grafting and fillers can be quite a tricky task. Since both treatments seem equally effective, it can be difficult for you to pick a singular approach for your goals.
To help you through the process, here is a quick comparison between facial fat grafting vs. facial fillers.
What Is Facial Fat Grafting?
Facial fat grafting, or autologous fat transfer, is a cosmetic process where fat is harvested from a donor site on your own body and injected into your area of concern. During the process, the extracted fat is liquified and processed to act as a re-sculpting agent. This means that the treatment uses your own body tissue, which eliminates the chances for allergic reactions and delivers natural looking results.
What Are Facial Fillers?
Facial fillers, or dermal fillers, are cosmetic injectables that are comprised of different substances, such as hyaluronic acid. These injections can be used on various parts of your face to provide you with the optimal volume in the target area. Since dermal fillers use synthetic compositions of naturally occurring substances in the body, they can deliver sought-after results that look natural.
Facial Fat Grafting vs. Facial Fillers
After learning how each of these treatments work, you can take a closer look at how they compare to each other.
Which Aesthetic Concerns Does Each Approach Address?
Both facial fat grafting and facial fillers can be used to target a variety of aesthetic concerns. These include but are not limited to the following.
- Shadows on lower eyelids
- Loss of volume across the cheeks
- Wrinkles and fine lines
- Skin folds
- Scars
. Due to the difference in the composition of these substances, facial fat grafting and fillers have distinct uses.
Where facial fat grafting can also improve the tone and texture of your skin, dermal fillers can sculpt your features including your lips, jaw, and nose. This gives each of these approaches a distinct advantage over the other.
Treatment Method
While learning how to choose between fat grafting and fillers, you need to keep the treatment method in mind. Where facial fat grafting extracts fat from your body areas, such as flanks, abdomen, and buttocks, dermal fillers come in prepared compositions. This means that facial fat grafting requires you to go through an additional procedure, while dermal fillers are a singular process.
Downtime And Recovery
In facial fat grafting, your surgeon harvests fat utilizing a small volume liposuction procedure. This may result in mild discomfort in the area where the fat was obtained. The areas injected may swell for up to two weeks following the treatment. On the other hand, dermal fillers have little to no downtime. Most patients return to their normal activities immediately after treatment.
Results Timeline
One of the biggest differences between facial fat grafting vs. facial fillers is the timeline of results. Typically, facial fat grafting results can last for a few years after treatment. On the other hand, dermal fillers may need maintenance treatments every 12-18 months.
How to Choose Between Fat Grafting and Fillers?
If you need a more long-term treatment to refresh your skin and resolve loss of volume, facial fat grafting might be preferential. However, you will need to consider the downtime that comes with it.
In contrast, if you want to resolve minor loss of volume while augmenting facial features,, dermal fillers might be a better choice. In this approach, you need to be mindful of the associated maintenance sessions.
To make an informed decision, it is important to discuss your concerns with a qualified plastic surgeon. This ensures that you are not only choosing the treatment that addresses your concerns but also going with an approach that is recommended for you by a seasoned expert.
Book Your Appointment for Facial Volume Restoration in Connecticut Today
At Brown Plastic Surgery, Dr. Wilfred Brown makes it a point to know your aesthetic goals and offers treatments that directly fulfill them. Through a detailed consultation, you can make a comparison between facial fat grafting vs. dermal fillers while keeping your unique needs in mind.
To discuss facial rejuvenation options, schedule your consultation today by contacting us online or calling us at (203) 758-2564.