Plastic Surgery

Beverly Hills California

Jon A Perlman MD, FACS

Diplomate, American Board of Plastic Surgery

Fat injection for augmentation and wrinkle reduction

Fat injection has become increasingly popular to augment the upper and lower lips and cheeks.  It can also be placed in small amounts beneath a wrinkled area to provide some degree of filling.  Fat injection offers the potential for a long term improvement if the fat remains in place, however the improvement may also disappear or diminish if the fat does not survive (most of the time a good portion of the fat does survive).  This procedure requires that a small amount of fat be taken from your stomach or thighs (and can be done using only local anesthesia). 

Healing after treatment of wrinkles:

Botox and Juvederm and Restylane or Juvederm injections can literally be done during a brief lunch break and yet permit immediate return to work.  You must not lie down or rub your forehead for 2 hours after botox has been injected between your eyebrows, but otherwise the "recovery" is quite straightforward in nearly all cases.

Chemical and laser peels require varying periods for the skin to peel and re-heal itself (usually 5-10 days).  The deeper peels (ie CO2 laser peels) leave the skin pink for several weeks to months while the deeper skin layers (dermis) are forming new collagen bundles and tightening the skin.  Lighter peels heal sooner and although the result is less dramatic on the very deep lines, is very effective as a refresher benefiting finer lines.

Fat injections result in swelling and puffiness of the treated areas that usually becomes quite acceptable looking after one to two weeks.