By age 35, most people have already lost about ten percent of the fat in their face, even if they haven’t lost any weight. Another ten percent is typically lost every decade after that, and by age 60, many people have lost half of their facial fat. This occurs because the body stores fat in different ways as we age; instead of proportioning fat evenly across our core and extremities, fat cells begin to centralize around the abdomen.
To perform a facial fat transfer, liposuction is used to remove fat from a donor site on the body. Usually, patients choose to have fat removed from their belly, back, or thighs, as this approach has the added benefit of shaping and slimming common problem areas. After the fat has been harvested, it’s processed in a device called a centrifuge. The centrifuge spins the fat at high speeds, separating adipose tissue from other components that aren’t suitable for injection, like blood vessels and cellular debris. Finally, this purified fat is carefully injected into areas where facial fat loss is apparent. Because correctly processed fat cells are still healthy and viable, they’ll naturally integrate with the patient’s existing fatty tissue. Facial fat transfer can be performed as a standalone procedure, or it can be combined with other non-surgical or surgical treatments for even greater overall rejuvenation.