Fat Grafting Eyebag

Dr. Lam's patient, Beatrice, talks about her experience with Dr. Lam's method of no-incision facial rejuvenation. For more information, please visit www.lamfacialplastics.com.

As the face matures over the years, facial fat loss contributes to a hollow, sunken look that typifies the aged countenance. The analogy of the full grape that begins to transform into a shriveled raisin may be helpful in understanding the process of volume loss that affects the face. Transferring fat from your thighs or belly to the areas that have lost fat in the face, like the brow, lower eyelid, cheek, and jawline can restore the youthful vitality of your face. Removal of fat from the body does not constitute body contouring or "liposuction", as the technique that Dr. Lam uses to harvest the fat from the body is different from traditional liposuction. Care must be exercised to remove only the appropriate amount of fat from the body in a gentle manner, while ensuring that harvested fat cells remain undamaged.

Fat transfer may not be the solution for everyone. Traditional face and browlifting can be appropriate for many individuals seeking facial enhancement. However, facial fat transfer can also be effectively combined with facial lifting procedures to provide the optimal aesthetic result in the right candidate. Fat transfer to the lips, smile lines, and around the mouth is less than ideal due to the risks of eventual fat absorption as well as unnecessarily prolonged recovery. Dr. Lam tends to reserve the use of other fillers or skin therapies in this region when individuals desire enhancement around the mouth.

Fat transfer has become a cornerstone of rejuvenation for Dr. Lam, as volume enhancement for the face represents an entirely new way of looking at the aging face. Rather than remove away precious tissue, Dr. Lam prefers to restore lost tissue and shape to the deflated and sunken face using his unique approach to fat enhancement. Dr. Lam has already completed his third textbook on fat enhancement, entitled Complementary Fat Grafting (Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, PA 2006), and believes that fat enhancement represents the present and the future for facial enhancement. Fat grafting requires very little sedation (light anesthesia), and Dr. Lam's method does not require any body or facial incisions at all.

Dr. Lam is board certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He has authored three major facial plastic surgery textbooks, including Comprehensive Facial Rejuvenation: A Practical and Systematic Guide to the Aging Face, Cosmetic Surgery of the Asian Face, and the recently published Complementary Fat Grafting. Dr. Lam has also published over 100 book chapters and scientific articles on the subject of facial plastic surgery and lectures nationally almost on a monthly basis on facial plastic surgery and has lectured over 100 times to date. Visit www.lamfacialplastics.com.