RIGHT NOW, there is something that aesthetic dermatologists consider more valuable than any synthetic compound you could inject into your face—more valuable, in fact, than gold.
It’s fat. Your fat.
Yes, dermal fillers like the ones crafted from hyaluronic acid (brand names: Juvederm and Restylane) still remain effective in helping to restructure and add volume to areas of the face that are sagging. But using your own fat to achieve the same effect offers benefits beyond merely replacing what time has taken. In fact, it’s become almost routine in many plastic surgeons offices to liposuction fat from one area of the body and transfer it directly to the face.
However, some patients aren’t using that adipose tissue immediately, opting to “bank” it, creating the equivalent of a fat savings account. “Surgeons will remove extra fat beyond what’s needed for an initial grafting procedure, store it, and save it to have on hand as an insurance policy in the future,” explains Krishna Vyas, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon at Blechman Plastic Surgery in New York City. This is known as “fat banking” and it's been making waves on social media as patients’ fat deposits are rapidly dwindling thanks to GLP-1 use. It’s transformed what was once considered something to shed at any cost into an aesthetic hot commodity.
Ahead, we spoke with several plastic surgeons about how fat banking is transforming facial aesthetics—and what to consider if you’re thinking about it.
The basics of banking.
“Fat banking refers to the process of having fat removed from your body through liposuction, which is then frozen and stored to be used later for cosmetic procedures that add volume to the face, breasts, or body,” explains Dr. Vyas. It’s typically sucked out of either the abdomen, hips, thighs, flanks, back, or arms, and is “processed to separate it from blood and fluid, placed into sterile containers, and frozen at very cold temperatures,” he adds. The fat is sent to a cryopreservation facility where it's stored in liquid nitrogen until you’re ready to use it, the fat is thawed and injected where you need it.
Publication : Women's Health
Author : Taryn Brooke
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