By These days, facial rejuvenation and contouring is not only about tightening and lifting but also restoring lost volume to your face. As you age, your face starts losing its fats and this might not be something to be happy about actually. Because as happy as you are getting rid of those baby fats, when you reach your mid- to late-20s, you will find that you have lost too much face fats that it makes your face look droopy and sunken. And that’s when facial fat grafting or fillers come in.
In this article, we will compare the two and by the end of the article, you should know which one is more suitable for you based on your needs!
Fat grafting or fillers – What’s the difference?
Unfortunately, when you age, you tend to lose fats on areas that you would want volume – your cheeks, forehead and eye areas, while you put on fats on areas that you don’t want volume – your double chin and lower cheeks. While double chins can be resolved with liposuction or fat dissolving injections, facial fat grafting and fillers are the go-to to replace lost volume on faces.
Facial fat grafting
Facial fat grafting, also known as fat transfer, involves extracting fat tissues from other parts of your body (usually the back of your thighs or belly or buttocks) through liposuction, purifying them, and injecting those purified fats back into areas of your face which requires volume. Fat grafting can plump, lift and smooth your skin and face, making you look younger and better. And since you are using your own fat tissues, rejection rate is almost zero.
Fillers
Dermal fillers are soft gel-like substances that are injected beneath the skin to plump up areas that have lost volume and smoothness. Majority of the fillers used are hyaluronic acid (HA) based fillers. Because they are readily accepted by our body, is naturally absorbed by our body, and can be dissolved easily if you want to get rid of it.
Fat grafting or fillers – Which is for me?
Fat grafting is for you if you:
- Are looking to add volume to multiple areas of your face
- Don’t want foreign substances such as fillers in your body
Fillers are for you if you:
- Are looking to add volume to small areas of your face
- Don’t want to undergo liposuction for fat extraction
Fat grafting or fillers – What to take note?
Scarring
Being a non-invasive procedure, injecting of fillers will leave no marks or scars at all. Fat grafting, on the other hand, is slightly more invasive in a way. Though there are no incisions on your face, the procedure still involves a small incision being made at the areas where your fats are extracted.
Recovery
There is almost no downtime for filler injections, except for slight swelling that might last for a few days. On the other hand for fat grafting, there might be minor swelling which will last up to 1 week. You will not feel any pain on your face but might experience soreness at the areas where your fats were harvested from.
Results
Results of both fat grafting and fillers are instantaneous and natural-looking. However, results from fat grafting usually lasts 5~10 years (if you do 2 sessions and depending on your body’s absorption rate as well) while fillers typically last from 6 months to a year. Needless to say, in the long run, fat grafting is obviously the most lasting and most cost-efficient option.
Safety
As you are using your own fat tissues for fat grafting, rejection rate or side effects are almost zero! As for fillers, most fillers are hyaluronic acid based and hyaluronic acid is found naturally in our body so rejection rate or side effects are highly unlikely. In addition, most fillers can be dissolved. So, if you don’t like the results or have an unusual reaction, it can be removed easily.
In short, both fat grafting and fillers are relatively safe procedures so there is no cause for worry.
Cost
To be honest, fat grafting is much more costly than fillers, at the start. But if you factor in the fact that fillers are non-permanent, you will find that in the long run, fat grafting is actually the more cost efficient option!
Conclusion
There is no doubt aging is dreadful but inevitable. As you mature, you may be happy to get rid of those baby fats on your face. But when you reach your mid- to late-20s, you will no doubt find yourself wanting those fats back! Especially when the loss of volume on your face gives you sunken eyes and cheeks which makes you look more tired and older than you really are.
Thankfully, both fat grafting and fillers provide the solutions to volume loss. The difference between fat grafting and fillers mostly has to do with the lasting power of the results and the cost. But by now, you would have a clear idea on the differences and know which procedure you prefer.
That said, it is still important for you to consult a highly skilled board certified plastic surgeon on which procedure suits you best for your desired results and for the best results!
What do you think?