Fat Transfer & Fat Injection
We often hear around us: “She got older, her metabolism slowed down and she gained weight.” And then some more attentive readers object to what I have written: “But didn't you say the fat pads in our face lose volume with age?” :) Let me explain this a little.
Before getting to the main subject, let me tell you about a piece of evidence. You know the problem called cellulite, the bane of women's lives.
When talking about cellulite, I explained that there are vertical septa just beneath the skin dividing the subcutaneous layer into compartments, and that when the distribution of fat in these compartments is slightly disturbed, they bulge outwards and cause the orange-peel appearance.
And of course a logical question followed: “But doctor, cellulite can also be seen in very thin people.” The answer to all these questions is the same: fat in different locations of our body has different tasks and responds differently to our metabolism.
In people we call very thin, there may indeed be no localised fat increase on the belly, hips or bottom, but the fat layer just beneath the skin (the plane we call the hypodermis) has to be assessed differently, because its task is not fat storage anyway and it is not centred on energy metabolism.
Because of its genetic code, the way the hypodermis stores fat behaves differently from the fat deposits collecting on our belly. This difference explains why cellulite, although it is a fat disorder, can also be seen in thin people.
Through a similar mechanism, a group of fats that form the shape of our face is genetically tasked with forming our facial shape rather than storing fat.
The fat tissue I am talking about here is different from the fat that widens our face when we gain weight. The proof? In midface lift operations, many of my surgeon colleagues have witnessed that the amount of retroseptal fat deep in the lower eyelid has decreased.
Even the Bichat fat pads shrink at an older age. These are our clinical observations. These fat tissues should be thought of as part of the skeleton, because their task is to serve the shape of the face.
So, just as not every bearded man is your grandfather, not every yellow tissue is the same fat. Joking aside, the colour and sheen of the fat tissues mentioned here are also somewhat different :).
Where is this knowledge useful to us? We remove the fat that challenges us metabolically with VASER liposuction and, conversely, perform fat injection where it is needed.
Of course, fat injection is not always performed where something is missing. Sometimes we also collect fat from other parts of the body and inject it into areas we want to be more voluminous.
Moreover, this subject is becoming more and more popular. And of course the target area is the bottom (Brazilian butt lift: BBL). After BBL, the most popular is fat injection to the face. There is also fat injection to the breast, which I do not really prefer for many reasons; I explained why in another article. In short, fat is a subject with almost no beginning and no end; I just wanted to share a few details with you while sitting on my terrace one Sunday. You can write to me about anything you are curious about.
And if you would like more information about fat injection to the buttocks, see our page on BBL in Istanbul.
The information on this page is for general information only; always consult your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.