Indeed, the key to facial rejuvenation lies naturally hidden in our bodies. Although mother nature is formidable enough, it is no longer true that the aging effects of nature can’t be controlled or slowed down. Individuals who want to rejuvenate their hollow or gaunt facial skin usually opt for safer, more effective, and easy medical options than ever before. Nowadays, many skin specialists and dermatologists offer the best possible treatments to their patients according to their needs and desires.
Thanks to the recent advancements in the medicinal world that now present injectable treatments such as facial fat grafting and dermal fillers. Both these significantly help restore fullness and plumpness in the areas which have lost their volume due to aging. But despite their similar goals of offering youthful volume, both are not interchangeable methods. Read on this article until the end for a comparison of both these cosmetic treatments to help you decide which one best meets your needs.
What is Fat Grafting?
Fat grafting is a technique performed in a dermatologist’s clinic to remove extra fat. During fat grafting or autologous fat transfer, excess fat is removed from the body. That removed fat is then transferred and injected into a facial region with less volume. Some significant steps involved in this procedure are as follows:
- Firstly, a skin specialist performs liposuction on the patient’s body to gather fat from areas with much fat like the abdomen, thighs, hips, or buttocks.
- He then purifies the accumulated fat in the second step to separate the most potent cells.
- After purification, he injects the separated potent cells into areas that show depression, such as the cheeks, below the eyes, and around the mouth.
- Some fat cells will not survive during this fat transformation, while some will stay. But most transferred fat will help patients achieve fuller and smoother skin.
What are Dermal Fillers?
Dermal fillers are fullness substances that are made by naturally occurring molecules. These fillers injected into the patient’s face by reliable skin specialists greatly help return the plumpness and fullness by
- removing fine lines
- giving fullness to volume loss areas
- filling wrinkles, and many more.
In addition to that, these fillers can also be used around the mouth, under the eyes, and especially on the cheeks. Moreover, the best thing regarding dermal fillers is that they are non–invasive and give instant results for fullness. Somehow, they also stimulate collagen production, which is very beneficial for strengthening the connective tissues of our skin.
Which Is Better? Fat Grafting or Dermal Fillers?
If your primary concern is overcoming the loss of fullness in your face, especially if more volume is required around cheeks, eyes, and jawline, then facial fat grafting is considered a better option than dermal fillers to some extent. According to dermatologists, the fat grafting technique has shown long-lasting results than small filler interims of maintaining fullness in your face.
However, both these techniques are good in their own way. Following are the pros of both these facial rejuvenation methods to help you decide which one is better for you according to your needs:
Pros of Fat Grafting
Natural Results
Fat is considered the most natural organic augmenting material. It brings soft, supple, and natural-looking results.
Less Risk
No one can assume how their body will react to any foreign substance. For many potential patients, the possibility of any reaction is a real fear.
Mostly the men and women who receive dermal filler injections from professional and skilled dermatologists usually face no complications. But there is still the risk of an allergic reaction or filler rejection by the body.
Moreover, some people think fat grafting is safer, even though it is more disturbing.
Longer Lasting
Although, the fat is absorbed easily and readily during the process of dermal fillers. But the results are not long-lasting. Mostly the dermal fillers give results for six to one year. Fat grafting, on the other hand, can provide noticeable fullness for many years compared to dermal fillers.
Improve Multiple Areas
As fat is collected from different areas of the body through the process of liposuction during fat grafting. That procedure allows a patient to collect fat from the area of their own choice with unwanted fat. That not only make areas to be slim but also enhances areas they want more voluminous.
Pros of Dermal fillers
No long-term commitment
Some people usually do not know how much additional volume they need on their cheeks, nasolabial folds, or lips. People can try out different amounts and variations because the process of dermal filler typically requires to be repeated once or twice a year by experienced skin specialists. Therefore, that can help them to decide which look is best for them.
Less Invasive
Dermal fillers usually do not need any anesthesia because they contain trace amounts of Lidocaine, primarily used as a numbing agent. In addition, these fillers create no trauma to other parts of the body and can be injected quickly. Moreover, fat injections take much longer and are more painful than dermal fillers because the fat must be purified, harvested, and injected initially.
No need for Excess Fat Transformation
Almost all people will experience facial volume loss at some stage of their life. While some people have excess fat in their bodies to be extracted, and others do not have much. So dermal fillers are ideal for people with insufficient fat to harvest and hope to improve their lost volume without any invasive process.
Conclusion
Dermal fillers and fat grafting processes done by professional skin specialists undoubtedly help restore fullness to facial contours that have lost their actual volume. They are more recent and advanced compared to traditional facelift surgeries. Also, they are less invasive, so many people usually opt for them nowadays.
Moreover, they can bring noticeable facial rejuvenation to individuals looking for everlasting youthful skin. However, even though these treatments give the same results, their performance is quite different. Also, both have their own pros and cons, so one should opt for each according to their own needs after consultation with a professional dermatologist.