Micro Fat Grafting for the Lips # Lip Fat Grafting # Lips # Lip Volume # Full Lips # Voluminous Lips # Beautiful Lips # Lip Wrinkles # Wrinkled Lips # Lip Asymmetry # Open Lips # Lip Surgery

Lip Hollowing # A Large Difference Between the Upper and Lower Lip Sizes # Lip Asymmetry # Uneven Lips # Short Lips # Thin Lips # Severe Lip Wrinkles # Lip Correction # Lip Surgery # Lip Surgery Procedure # Lip Surgery

Lip Surgery # Lip Fat Grafting # Lip Fat Injection # Thin Upper Lip # Plump Lips # Lip Filler # Lip Corner Surgery # Lip Enlargement # Lip Enlargement Procedure # Lip Enlargement Surgery # Lip Reduction # Lip Corners

Lip Reduction Procedure # Lip Reduction Surgery # Lip Corner Surgery # Men's Lip Surgery # Lip Corner Botox # Upper Lip Surgery # Lip Scars # Mouth Shape Correction # Mouth Shape Correction # Lip Wrinkle Surgery # Lip Wrinkle Procedure

Mouth Shape Correction # Best Place for Lip Surgery # Mouth Shape Correction # Lip Surgery Scars # Thick Lips # Mouth Shape Surgery # Beautiful Lips # Lip Injection # After Lip Filler # Lower Lip Reduction # Make Lips Bigger

Philtrum Asymmetry # Lip Shape # Mouth Size Surgery # Mouth Enlargement Surgery # Thick Lip Surgery # Mouth Size Surgery # Mouth Enlargement Surgery # Mouth Size # How to Make Lips Bigger # Upper Lip Reduction # How to Make Lips Thicker

Cupid's Lips # Mouth Shape Surgery # Lip Line Surgery # Lip Corner Opening # Drooping Lip Corners # Men's Lip Corners # Asymmetry Botox # Thin Lip Surgery # Lip Corner Reoperation # Lip Lift # Mouth Shape Correction Surgery

Men's Lip Corner Surgery # Lip Asymmetry Correction # Peanut Lips # Lip Length # Upper Lip # Lip Width # Drooping Lips # Art Lips # How to Make Lips Longer # Mouth Surgery # Lip Procedure # Lip Corner Wrinkles

Lip Corner Depressor Muscle # Non-incisional Lip Corner # Lip Scar Surgery # Lip Corners # Lip Corner Lift # Best Place for Lip Corner Surgery # Lip Corner Surgery Scars # Lip Corner Thread Lift # Lip Corner Injection # Small Mouth Surgery

Thin Lips # Drooping Lip Corners # Philtrum Reduction Procedure # Lip Corner Plastic Surgery # Lip Corner Asymmetry # Lip Corner Correction # Small Mouth Surgery # Duhan # Duhan Plastic Surgery # Director Shin Duhan # Recommended Lip Filler

Lip Wrinkle Removal # Lip Corner Opening # Men's Lip Corner Filler # Lip Corner Surgery # Mouth Corner Wrinkles # Vertical Lip Wrinkles # Perioral Wrinkles # Upper Lip Wrinkles # Between-the-Eyes Wrinkle Blocking Procedure # Perioral Wrinkles

Lips

Create soft and beautiful facial contours

with micro fat grafting ~

PARTS OF FAT INJECTION

Micro Fat Grafting for the Lips

This is a procedure that smooths wrinkles and creates fuller lips when the lips lack volume or have many wrinkles.

It is sometimes also performed to reduce the difference in volume between the upper and lower lips.

Indications for micro fat grafting of the lips

○ Hollowing in the center of the lips (open lips)

○ A severe size difference between the upper and lower lips

○ Lip asymmetry

○ The upper lip is too short and the lips cannot close properly

○ Lips that are too thin

○ Severe lip wrinkles

How the fat grafting procedure for lip correction is performed

1. Fat is collected from areas where a large amount of fat has accumulated in the patient's own body, such as the lower abdomen, waist, or thighs.

• Because local anesthesia (painless sedation anesthesia) is used, there is no pain at all.

• A thin liposuction cannula is used to collect the fat into a syringe.

2. The collected fat is placed in a centrifuge to remove the local anesthetic solution and serum.

The purpose of centrifugation is to remove impurities, reduce side effects after grafting, and increase the fat survival rate.​

3. After centrifugation, moisture and oil are removed through a second concentration process.

To achieve a fat survival rate of at least about 50%, the oil and moisture must be removed through a second purification step after centrifugation.

The grafted fat must be free of impurities for a higher survival rate and better results.

In practice, a single centrifugation step is often not enough to sufficiently concentrate the fat.

By removing oil and moisture, nearly 100% concentrated fat can be obtained.

The purified fat is measured as needed with a 1 cc syringe.

For fat grafting to the lip area, about 2 cc of concentrated fat is grafted into the upper lip and another 2 cc into the lower lip.

For the chin (mandible), about 5 cc to 7 cc of concentrated fat is grafted.

4. The fat is grafted into the area that has been locally anesthetized.

At our clinic, we use a micro needle (micro grafting cannula) developed in-house.

The micro needle is a special grafting cannula used only at our clinic for ultra-precise grafting.

Fat grafting is performed after tunneling is complete and space has been secured for the fat to be grafted.

The principle of fat grafting is to graft the fat evenly and uniformly over the grafting area so that the fat does not clump together, while also maximizing the survival rate as much as possible.

To do this, a small amount of concentrated fat must be grafted finely per unit area and distributed evenly across multiple areas.

If a large amount of fat is grafted into one area, the fat that does not receive blood supply will eventually necrose and be absorbed.​

Examples of micro fat grafting for the lips

If the lip line is thin, three-dimensional fat grafting is performed.

The fat is mainly grafted into the orbicularis oris muscle of the lips, and is distributed evenly into the deep and shallow layers of the muscle so as to maximize fat survival while creating a soft lip shape.

An additional benefit of fat grafting is the smoothing of lip wrinkles.​

Advantages of lip correction with micro fat grafting

① The procedure is simple.​

② Unlike filling materials such as fillers (Restylane, Artecoll), the lips rarely harden or develop problems such as inflammation.

③ Because the procedure does not involve cutting the skin, there is no need to worry about scarring.

④ Because it uses the patient's own tissue, the result is soft and naturally shaped.​

⑤ Since the grafted fat remains permanently as the patient's own tissue, the effect can be maintained for a long time.

⑥ It has the effect of softening vertical wrinkles on the lips.

Disadvantages of lip correction with micro fat grafting

① The lip area tends to swell more after the procedure than other areas.

② The lip area has a high fat absorption rate, so second procedures are often needed.

Precautions when correcting with fat grafting

○ After the procedure, do not press on the area or apply impact until the fat has settled.

○ Running exercise can reduce the fat survival rate due to shaking, so caution is needed for about one month.

○ Avoid alcohol and smoking for about one week.

○ Do not open or purse the mouth too widely, so that fat is less likely to be absorbed.

Number of micro fat grafting procedures for the lips

In the case of the lips, the fat survival rate is lower than in other areas.

If the average fat survival rate is considered to be 50%, the lip area is around 30%.

The reason is that the lips are constantly moving, which makes it difficult for fat cells to survive.

Compared with areas that move less, such as the chin and cheeks, the survival rate is lower, so an average of about two fat grafting sessions should be considered.

At the time of the first grafting, one option is to graft as much fat as possible so that even if a large amount is absorbed, a sufficient absolute amount remains. However, if too much fat is grafted at first, the lips will swell excessively right after the procedure, which can interfere with daily life.

Also, excessive fat grafting can instead reduce the survival rate and increase the possibility of side effects, so it is better to graft an appropriate amount of fat.

Long-term effect of fat grafting

Some people say fat grafting is not effective because much of it is absorbed, but this applies when the procedure is done at a clinic with relatively little experience.

If the procedure is performed accurately according to the principles, satisfactory results can be achieved.

Once the grafted fat survives, it is no longer absorbed and remains as the patient's own tissue for life, making it one of the safest and most effective procedures.

On average, one to as many as two fat grafting sessions can produce permanent, satisfactory facial contour correction.

Side effects of fat grafting

Fat grafting is one of the procedures with the fewest side effects.

However, side effects can occasionally occur due to inexperience on the part of the practitioner.

Severe swelling from excessive fat injection, calcification due to fat necrosis, uneven contours, reduced effect from excessive fat absorption, and redness caused by inflammation may occur, but these are issues related to the surgeon's experience and skill.

If the procedure is performed correctly according to the principles, these problems rarely occur, so it is standard not to receive the procedure from a provider with insufficient fat grafting experience or from a non-specialist in plastic surgery.

Types of side effects from fat grafting

Of course, good results are desired, but depending on the surgeon's skill and technique, unavoidable problems can sometimes occur.

Poor results due to low survival rates, awkward shapes, asymmetry, severe swelling, inflammation, fat necrosis, calcification, unevenness, sagging, and pigmentation may occur.

Inflammation	Caused when bacteria enter during the procedure, or when the fat fails to survive during the grafting process and melts away
Necrosis	A state in which fat that did not survive because it did not receive adequate blood supply during the grafting process has decayed, leaving behind dissolved remnants
Calcification	A phenomenon in which fat that did not receive adequate blood supply during the grafting process hardens and calcium is deposited, forming a firm mass
Unevenness	A phenomenon in which the shape becomes uneven because the fat was not grafted uniformly or was concentrated in only one area
Sagging	If too much fat is grafted or if it is not grafted in the proper location, sagging of the face may occur.
Pigmentation	If bruising or swelling is severe, depending on the person's constitution, iron components left in the bruise may deposit in the skin and oxidize, turning brown; this can sometimes occur after procedures under the eyes depending on the person's constitution.
Asymmetry	When the survival rate differs between the left and right sides, or the amount is not properly adjusted during the first procedure, causing imbalance between the two sides
High absorption rate	A phenomenon in which the fat does not survive enough to achieve the desired contour and a large amount is absorbed, so the shape before and after the procedure does not change much
Awkward shape	A phenomenon in which the fat survives excessively or is grafted in the wrong place rather than the appropriate area, disrupting the overall balance of the face

Problems related to fat grafting side effects

Because fat grafting uses the patient's own fat, it has almost no side effects unlike commercial filling materials (fillers).

Except for slight swelling and bruising after the procedure, it can be said that there are essentially no side effects.

Therefore, it can be said to be safer than any other cosmetic procedure.

However, this applies only when fat grafting is performed properly, and if the procedure is done against the principles, side effects may occasionally occur, such as an uneven shape, fat necrosis leading to hardness, inflammation, or an awkward appearance due to excessive injection.

These issues are determined by the practitioner's experience and skill, and are absolutely not a general problem with fat grafting itself.

Therefore, if the procedure is performed according to the principles, these side effects are very unlikely to occur.

How to perform fat grafting without side effects

Perform the procedure in a sterile stateAs with all surgeries, fat grafting must also be performed with completely sterilized instruments and materials.After the procedure, the inside of the suction cannula must be thoroughly cleaned with a brush so that no fat residue remains inside the used suction or grafting cannula, and then disinfected with a high-pressure steam sterilizer. Anesthetic agents and saline solution must also be carefully managed so they are not contaminated.Thorough disinfection and material management can prevent bacterial infection and inflammation.
Multi-step purification of the fatThe purification of fat must remove impurities completely over several stages to maximize the effect.The harvested fat usually contains about 80% impurities, and only about 20% is actually usable.If the remaining impurities (blood, serum, anesthetic solution, oil, moisture, etc.) are not removed, the result will be poor no matter how well the grafting is done.​
Pre-tunneling before fat graftingTo achieve a high survival rate, a satisfactory effect should ideally be obtained with just one procedure.Fine fat should be implanted evenly in multiple layers, and before that, space must be created at the grafting site so that the previously grafted fat is not compressed by surrounding tissue; only then can the fat avoid pressure and survive well.
Precise and uniform grafting across multiple tissue layersThe expression of a soft and natural contour is the key to fat grafting.For a soft contour, it is better to use a three-dimensional method that grafts evenly across multiple layers.The grafting locations include the subcutaneous layer, muscle layer, and fascia layer, and the fat must be spread through the tissue as if sowing seeds evenly to achieve a smooth contour without unevenness.

Frequently asked questions and answers about fat grafting

Question) What kind of anesthesia is used for fat grafting, and is there pain?

Answer) All fat grafting is performed under painless sedation anesthesia with local anesthesia.

Sedation anesthesia is not general anesthesia; it is an anesthetic that keeps the patient asleep for about 5 minutes only to eliminate pain while local anesthesia is administered.

Therefore, there is no need to worry about pain.

Question) How does the fat grafting process proceed?

Answer) All fat grafting is performed under painless sedation anesthesia with local anesthesia.

From fat harvest to purification and grafting, all steps are carried out delicately and accurately.

During fat harvest, living fat is collected with minimal damage, and to concentrate the fat to nearly 100%, it goes through a centrifugation stage and an oil-and-moisture removal stage.

In addition, before fat grafting, subcutaneous tunneling is performed to secure space for the fat to be grafted.

When grafting fat, micro fat grafting is used to maximize the survival rate.

It may take as little as 20 to 30 minutes, and when multiple areas are treated at the same time, it may take more than 2 hours.

You can go home immediately after the procedure.

Question) Where is the best place to harvest fat from?

Answer) For fat grafting, fat must first be harvested from an appropriate area.

The harvest site is determined by considering the amount of fat that needs to be suctioned, and when only a small amount is being grafted, such as under the eyes, the nose, or the nasolabial folds, the lower abdomen is usually the most common harvest site.

The reason the lower abdomen is preferred is that it is easy to harvest from, swelling and pain after the procedure are mild, and daily life is more comfortable.

If a large amount must be grafted, such as for the cheeks or forehead, it should be checked whether enough fat can be harvested from the donor area.

If there is a lot of excess fat in the lower abdomen, fat is harvested from there. If there is no fat in the lower abdomen, or if the elasticity of the abdominal fat has greatly decreased due to aging or childbirth, harvesting may not be possible even if there is fat.

This is because the abdomen may sag after fat harvest.

In such cases, the fat is harvested from the thighs, and the thigh is divided into the inner, outer, and back areas when deciding the harvest site, with the most fleshy area selected for harvest.

Fat is harvested carefully so that no deformity or hollowing occurs at the donor site.

In some cases, if the patient particularly wants a specific site, the procedure may be done by harvesting from that desired area as much as possible.

Question) How many fat grafting sessions are usually needed?

Answer) Depending on the area, satisfactory results can sometimes be achieved with just one session.

The survival rate of fat varies by area, there are individual differences, and if the result after the first session is satisfactory, a second session may not be needed.

In the case of the cheeks, the survival rate is relatively good at about 50% to 70%, so a slight overcorrection is usually made in the first session, and in most cases a second session is not needed.

In the case of the lips or nose, the survival rate is about 30% to 50%, so a second session is usually needed.

Because survival rates vary by area, there are individual differences, and there are several variables such as how much improvement is considered satisfactory, the number of sessions will vary depending on the situation.

On average, one to at most two sessions can produce satisfactory results.

Question) How much swelling and recovery time are there after fat grafting?

Answer) Swelling and bruising vary depending on the area and the individual's constitution.

The area with the most swelling is the lips, and the area with the most bruising is under the eyes.

Areas with almost no swelling or bruising are the bridge of the nose, temples (temporal area), and forehead.

In general, swelling or bruising from fat grafting is not very common.

On average, there will be slight awkward swelling for about 1 to 2 weeks before it subsides.

The recovery period can be thought of as about one week, during which swelling and bruising are present.

Question) Do I really need to have the second fat grafting session after 3 months? Can it be done earlier or later?

Answer) The second procedure is not mandatory; it is performed only when needed.

On average, the second fat grafting session is scheduled after 3 months.

The reason is that fat survival occurs over 3 months, and after 3 months there is almost no further change in appearance, so the decision about whether a second fat grafting session is needed should be made based on the appearance at that time for an accurate judgment.

Another reason is that if the second fat grafting is done too early, the fat grafted during the first session may be damaged during the second procedure before it has had time to survive.

Having the second procedure after 5 or 6 months is not a problem.

However, after 10 months, the stored fat is discarded, so it is more convenient to have the second fat grafting within 10 months.

If the second procedure is done after 10 months, the fat must be harvested again.

Question) How long do the effects of fat grafting last?

Answer) Some of the fat is absorbed until about 3 months, when survival is established, but the fat that survives and is not absorbed after 3 months no longer gets absorbed and remains permanently as the patient's own tissue.

However, the shape of the grafted area does not remain the same for life.

As time passes and a person ages, the skin sags, wrinkles develop, and the skeleton changes, so even the area that received fat grafting is not exempt from aging.

For this reason, the effect of fat grafting is sometimes described as semi-permanent, but more precisely it can also be called permanent.

It is a matter of expression, but you can think of the effect as lasting until significant aging progresses with age.

Question) What is the difference between fat grafting and micro fat grafting?

Answer) Fat grafting is a broad term used to describe the entire process of collecting fat and transferring it to the area that will be grafted.

In other words, even surgically removing fat in a lump and grafting it is called fat grafting, and collecting it with a syringe and grafting it with a syringe is also called fat grafting.

Micro fat grafting refers to fat grafting using a syringe, and is one of the methods of fat grafting designed to increase the survival rate by grafting the same amount in small, grain-of-rice-sized portions to many places, thereby increasing precision and survival rate.

Question) What is the difference between two-dimensional fat grafting and three-dimensional space fat grafting?

Answer) The so-called three-dimensional fat grafting means grafting fat evenly across multiple layers.

Under the skin there are multiple tissue layers, such as the subcutaneous fat layer, fascia layer, muscle layer, and periosteal layer.

Three-dimensional fat grafting means grafting fat evenly across these layers, making the most of the available space, improving the fat survival rate, and enabling a softer, more uniform graft.

Two-dimensional fat grafting means grafting only into one layer among the various layers, such as only the muscle layer or only the fat layer.

However, not all three-dimensional fat grafting is good.

Depending on the area to be grafted and the amount to be grafted, some areas require three-dimensional grafting, while others require two-dimensional grafting.

For example, the upper eyelid area should be grafted below the muscle layer, and if three-dimensional grafting is used, the shape becomes uneven and side effects such as heavy eyelids occur.

Therefore, for the upper eyelid, two-dimensional flat fat grafting, where the fat is grafted only into the fat layer, is better.

For areas such as the chin or cheeks, if a relatively large amount is being grafted, it is better to distribute the fat evenly between the muscle layer and the fat layer, since this creates a softer shape and helps the survival rate, so three-dimensional fat grafting is preferable.

It is important to choose the appropriate method for each area.

Question) What methods are used to increase the fat survival rate?

Answer) To increase the fat survival rate, the fat harvest process is the first important step.

The fat should be harvested carefully so that the fat cells are not damaged as much as possible, and impurities in the fat should be removed to the greatest extent possible.

To do this, a small liposuction cannula is used to carefully harvest the fat, and the harvested fat is centrifuged for only about 3 to 4 minutes at an appropriate rotation speed.

In addition, after centrifugation, the fat undergoes a second purification process in which oil and moisture are removed by placing it on sterile gauze.

Only through these steps can nearly 100% concentrated fat be obtained.

Only by concentrating the fat close to 100% can good results be achieved after fat grafting.

Even if the same amount is grafted, if 50% of it consists of impurities such as oil or moisture, the actual grafted amount is only half, so the effect is cut in half.

It is no exaggeration to say that the biggest key to the effectiveness of fat grafting is whether the fat is properly concentrated or not.

Question) Some people say that fat grafting is often ineffective because almost all of it is absorbed. Is that true?

Answer) Fat grafting differs by clinic in technique, and the results vary greatly depending on the skill of the practitioner.

If the fat grafting is performed poorly and against the principles, most of it may be absorbed, to the point that there is almost no difference from not having done it.

Only when the entire process from fat harvest to purification and grafting is performed accurately and according to the principles can a high survival rate and a soft, uniform contour be achieved.

Question) Can the face become uneven after fat grafting?

Answer) The principle of fat grafting is to achieve a uniform and soft contour.

If an uneven result occurs, it is due to incorrect fat grafting that goes against the principles.

There are many causes of unevenness.

Examples include grafting fat irregularly directly under the skin, grafting too much fat in one place, grafting unevenly instead of uniformly across the area, and failing to properly mold the area after fat grafting.

Therefore, to achieve a uniform and soft contour, the fat should not be grafted too superficially, it should be micro-grafted evenly and uniformly, and the procedure should be finished with molding to achieve a soft facial contour correction effect.

Question) How many times do I need to visit the clinic after fat grafting?

Answer) You should visit the clinic two days after fat grafting to check the progress.

You will also visit about twice a week.

If it is inconvenient or if you live too far away, you do not necessarily need to visit after the procedure.

After one week, it is fine to have the stitches removed at a nearby clinic at the fat harvest site, so if you live far away, you only need to come on the day of the fat grafting procedure and do not necessarily need to visit afterward if you judge that your recovery is going well.

Question) What side effects can occur after fat grafting?

Answer) Because fat grafting uses the patient's own fat, it has almost no side effects unlike commercial filling materials (fillers).

Except for slight swelling and bruising after the procedure, it can be considered to have no side effects at all.

Therefore, it can be said to be safer than any cosmetic procedure.

However, this applies only when fat grafting is performed properly, and if the procedure is done against the principles, side effects may occasionally occur, such as an uneven shape, fat necrosis leading to hardening, inflammation, or an awkward shape due to excessive injection.

Question) How long can the stored fat be kept?

Answer) The remaining grafted fat is stored in a sterile frozen state for 10 months.

After 10 months, the stored fat is discarded.

Due to the limit of storage capacity, it is not kept for more than 10 months.

If you have a second procedure within 10 months after fat grafting, you can simply have the procedure with the frozen stored fat, and if you come for a second procedure after 10 months, the fat has already been discarded, so fat must be harvested again for the second procedure.

Question) Is there a difference in results between grafting with stored frozen fat and grafting with freshly harvested fat?

Answer) Frozen fat does not change much in the properties of fat cells as long as it is stored properly.

Therefore, properly frozen and stored fat shows almost no difference in results compared with freshly harvested fat.

How well fat can be stored is also one of the fat grafting techniques.

Without fat storage technology, it is difficult to store it for even one month.

Also, the patient would have to undergo harvesting every time the procedure is done, which is inconvenient and labor-intensive.

The storage method must be sterile and kept frozen at low temperature, and impurities must be removed before storage so that the fat does not deteriorate; this can extend the storage period.

In general, the fat cells can be stored sufficiently without deterioration for up to about 10 months.

If a clinic says the fat must be harvested again every time because frozen fat easily deteriorates and loses effectiveness, that clinic has no storage facility or technology at all.

In other countries, frozen stored fat is sometimes used for up to 3 years.

http://www.duhans.com

​http://www.microfat.net​ ​