Liposculpture / Fat Transfer
You may be suitable for facial liposculpture if you have lost cheek bone defintion or if you have a fatty neck or double chin.
Facial liposculpture refers to procedures that aim to improve the definition of your facial contours. The basic idea of liposculpture is to remove excess fat when it is present (for example double chin/ neck) and to inject fat into areas where volume has been lost (for instance the cheek bone area). “Sculpting” the fat to achieve smooth, well-defined contours, requires care and precision.
Liposculpture overview
Neck liposuction/ Cheek Enhancement
TYPE OF ANAESTHETIC
Local (fat injections, neck liposuction when done alone), General (when combined with other procedures)
LENGTH OF SURGERY
1-2 Hours
HOSPITAL STAY
0-1
RECOVERY
Few days to 2 weeks off work, 3-6 weeks before strenuous exercise
Procedure types
Facial liposuction
Facial liposuction
Micro-liposuction is used to remove excess fat (see the section on liposuction). Facial liposuction can be used to improve the definition of your jawline and to reduce double chins. Dramatic improvements can sometimes be achieved using liposuction alone (particularly in younger patients with good skin quality). In other patients, loose skin remains when the fat has been removed, and the only way to deal with this is to combine liposuction with a lower neck facelift.
Fat transfer
Fat transfer
Fat transfer (lipomodelling/ fat cell grafting/ Coleman fat injection) is a technique that has become very popular over the last 15 years or so. It involves removing fat from one part of the body (usually the abdomen, buttocks or thighs) and its transfer to another part of the body. The fat is removed using liposuction and is prepared in the operating theatre to separate the fat cells. The fat is then injected where it is needed. The areas of the face most commonly treated are the cheeks to restore the youthful appearance of “high cheekbones“. Fat is used in the same way as fillers but has the advantage of being completely natural. It can give a long-lasting result, but some fat absorption will occur, and a repeat procedure may be required. Fat transfer can be used in isolation or combined with other facial surgery.
Commonly asked questions
Am I a candidate for neck liposuction?
Am I a candidate for neck liposuction?
You might be a candidate for neck liposuction if you have fatty tissue under your chin and neck area and have good-quality skin. If your skin is too loose, then liposuction to the chin will likely worsen this.
What are the alternatives to neck liposuction?
What are the alternatives to neck liposuction?
A weak chin can exacerbate the appearance of a fatty neck or “double chin”. Where the chin is weak, chin augmentation with dermal fillers or a chin implant can help improve the definition of the jaw and neck. Chin augmentation can be combined with neck liposuction to give added overall refinement to the neck. You may benefit from a formal neck lift procedure if your neck skin is loose or wrinkled.
How is neck liposuction performed?
How is neck liposuction performed?
Your neck will be numbed using local anaesthetic injections. Tiny 2mm incisions are then made using a needle to allow a small liposuction cannula to remove the excess fatty tissue. The procedure then takes around 10-20 minutes to perform. No stitches are required, and small dressings are applied to the liposuction insertion sites. You do not need any bandages or strapping. When liposuction is carried out on its own, it is usually performed as a walk-in walk-out procedure under local anaesthetic.
Is there any scarring?
Is there any scarring?
The scarring following neck liposuction is barely perceptible as the incisions used are so small.
What is the recovery like?
What is the recovery like?
You can expect a degree of swelling and bruising which will usually settle by 7-10 days.
What to expect
Neck liposuction
Neck liposuction
You should notice a difference in the appearance of your neck by four weeks, but the final results can take 5-6 months to become apparent. Results will vary between patients and depend largely on your skin elasticity (more skin retraction in younger patients) and the amount of pre-existing fatty tissue in your neck.
Fat transfer to cheeks
Fat transfer to cheeks
You will notice an immediate increase in your cheek volume. Some of this is due to swelling. Over the next six months, you can expect the swelling to settle and, on average, a 50% loss of the volume of the injected fat.
What are the risks?
Neck liposuction
Neck liposuction
Neck liposuction requires careful attention to detail. If liposuction is performed too aggressively, it can leave an uneven appearance as well as indentations which are difficult to correct. Rarely there may be some bruising to the nerve that moves the corner of your mouth, and this can take days or weeks to recover. If liposuction is performed on the wrong patients, it can leave loose hanging skin.
Fat transfer
Fat transfer
Some of the injected fat may cause lumps. These usually settle down with time. Rarely, a condition known as fat necrosis can occur. This can look like infection and can cause lumps, redness and discharge. It can take several months to settle down.
Body dysmorphia
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental health condition in which someone can’t help thinking about one or more perceived issues or faults in their appearance. Other people may think that their concerns are minor or they may fail to see them at all.
People with BDD, continuously focus on their appearance and body image, repeatedly checking the mirror, grooming or seeking reassurance, sometimes for many hours each day. The perceived flaw likely causes significant distress and impacts on a person’s ability to function in their daily life.
People affected with BDD often seek out cosmetic procedures to try to “fix” their perceived flaw. Afterwards, they may feel temporary satisfaction or a reduction in their symptoms, but often the anxiety returns, or they may move on to focus on other perceived problems related to their appearance.
Some patients may have features of body dysmorphia. Such patients are not likely to be offered surgery.
If you are considering surgery, it is worth trying the self-assessment tool below known as the Cosmetic Procedure Screening Questionnaire (COPS).
The questionnaire was developed by David Veale, Nell Ellison, Tom Werner, Rupa Dodhia, Marc Serfaty and Alex Clarke (2012) Development of a cosmetic procedure screening questionnaire (COPS) for Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Journal of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, 65 (4), 530-532.
Chin fillers – Brilliant experience
Always friendly, informative and helpful. Made you feel comfortable and always provided an honest opinion about what would be the best course of action. Did a wonderful job, very pleased with the results. Would definitely recommend as the results have had a positive effect on my self-confidence levels and the healing time was both fast and pain-free.
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