Filling nasolabial folds with fat

Injecting fat into the nasolabial folds and the malar area calls for considerable expertise on the part of the practitioner, not only in the injection technique itself, but also in judging precisely how much volume to restore and where. Performed correctly, this approach gives natural, long-lasting results, significantly improving the appearance of the nasolabial folds while restoring balance and harmony to the face.

Why inject fat into the nasolabial folds?

Filling the nasolabial folds with fat injections is an advanced aesthetic medicine technique designed to restore lost volume to the face, particularly in the cheek area and around the mouth. It is particularly suited to the nasolabial folds, the lines running from the edge of the nose to the corners of the mouth, which tend to become marked with age, with repeated facial expressions and with the loss of volume in certain areas of the face.

Why are nasolabial folds difficult to treat?

The nasolabial folds present a particular challenge, for several reasons. First, the area is subject to intense muscular activity, which can accelerate the resorption of injected products. In addition, loss of volume in the malar, or cheekbone, area often makes the nasolabial folds more prominent, which calls for a comprehensive approach addressing both the fold itself and the surrounding loss of volume.

The benefits of using fat to fill nasolabial folds

Fat injection, or lipofilling, involves taking fat from a part of the body where it is in excess, treating it and then reinjecting it into the desired areas of the face. The technique offers several advantages over traditional fillers such as hyaluronic acid:

• Naturalness: injected fat blends harmoniously with facial tissues, offering a more natural result, without the "swollen" effect that synthetic products can sometimes cause.
• Durability: once the fat graft has taken, results can last longer than those obtained with resorbable fillers.
• Biocompatibility: using your own fat reduces the risk of allergic reaction or rejection.

How nasolabial folds are filled with fat: the injection technique

Injecting fat into the nasolabial folds and the malar area must be done with precision. The fat is generally injected at two different levels:

• The superficial plane: defibrosed, sometimes fragmented, fat is used so that it can pass through very fine needles, with the aim of improving the surface appearance of the skin.
• The deep plane: simply defibrosed fat is injected with a micro-cannula, to restore volume more substantially.

This two-stage strategy not only fills the furrows effectively but also restores lost malar volume, and so addresses the underlying cause of worsening nasolabial folds.