Can Fat Injections Be Used To Make My Face More Round?

Q: Hello Dr. Eppley I am a 26 years old girl. Actually I have an oval face. I like all my features in my face except the shape of my face. This feeling destroyed my confidence, so I must do something about it. I like to make it more round and fuller. I would like to know which options do I have for that goal, fillers, fat injections, or what else? Do you think what is the best option for me, which has a reasonable price, is long lasting, with the least side effects and also look very natural. All your advices would be so valuable for me. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks so much.

A: Increasing the fullness of your face involves expanding the ‘middle third’. This is the soft tissue area between the bony cheeks and the jawline on the sides of the face.  The only practical approach would be the use of fat injections. While their survival and volume retention is always variable, they offer the best economic approach, virtually no complications, and the most natural looking result. For my facial fat injections, I now add Matristem collagen particles and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to the fat for a ‘supercharging’ effect to try and get the best volume retention. That being said, it is still adviseable to overfill the injected facial areas to some degree. The fat needed to inject usually comes from the abdominal or waistline areas by liposuction.

 Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana