As one grows older, the face begins to show signs of aging. Gravity, sun exposure, and years of smiling, chewing and squinting take their toll on appearance. No matter what you do to try to maintain your youth, some aging is inevitable.
When possible most people would opt to postpone the laugh lines, smile lines, crow’s feet, and other rites of passage. Soft-tissue fillers, like injectable collagen, fat or alloderm, are very popular treatments options, used for correction of wrinkles, to reduce the signs of aging and to restore robust facial contours

TYPES OF DERMAL FILLERS:

Temporary fillers- biodegradable and will gradually lose their effect in 6-8 months. Hyaluronic acid (HA), Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA), Calcium Hydroxyapatite (CaHA) and collagen.
Semi-permanent fillers – produce very long lasting, usually more than 5 years. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is the only semi-permanent filler available in market.

Procedure

Soft-tissue filler injections are in-office procedures. The three most commonly used materials are collagen, fat, and alloderm. Each substance has individual guidelines for use, but injections will need to be repeated to maintain the effects of treatment. Talk to your doctor about which filler would work best for you.

About Fat Injections

This procedure involves extracting fat from your own body. After the skin is anesthetized, fat is removed, using a tiny needle, from donor spots such as the hips, thighs, belly or buttocks. It is then injected into deep wrinkles and depressed areas. Since the fat is your own tissue, it will be accepted by your body and not be rejected as a foreign substance. However, not all injected fat survives, and the amount that does, acts as permanent filler.

Recovery and Healing

Slight swelling and occasional bruising can be expected for 24 hours after the treatment. You may also experience minor stinging in the injected area. Within two days, the swelling is usually gone and you may use ice packs if any discomfort. Avoid touching the area unnecessarily.

Risks

Dermal fillers are reasonably safe and effective, however, the possibility of an allergic reaction may been seen to collagen products. This may be avoided with allergy testing and is not a factor for fat because it’s harvested from a patient’s own body.

Infections can occur if the area is not properly cleaned.
Bleeding, bruising, skin necrosis due to poor injecting technique are other complications.
Uneven correction is sometimes a problem with fat injections.
Nerve damage due to accidental injury to the nerves may cause temporary numbness or pain.