Facial Fat Transfer San Diego | Facial Fat Grafting San Diego

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Benefits of a Facial Fat Transfer?

There are many great advantages of a fat transfer for you, including:

Improves wrinkles, scars, and other types of skin depressions
Removes fat from unwanted areas like your stomach, buttocks and thighs
Increases volume in certain areas (cheeks and lips, for example)
Provide focal stem cell treatment to your facial structures
A minimally invasive treatment
A cost effective solution long-term
Avoids repeat injections of dermal fillers
Results are long-lasting and have a natural appearance
Little or no scarring in the treated areas
Reduce the chance of an allergic reaction since you are using your own substance
Fat transfer works well in conjunction with other procedures so you can have more than one procedure at the same time

Am I a Good Candidate for Fat Transfer?

You are a good candidate for a fat transfer if you are at least age 30 and in good physical health.

How is Fat Transfer Performed?

Fat transfer is performed with a specially designed micro cannula system that does not require traditional open surgical incision. The treatment site can be anesthetized with a local anesthetic. Dr. Malone uses a small needle to remove the fat and stem cells from one area of your body. The fat is processed to purify it and to harvest the stem cells before being injected into the desired location.

What are the Risks?

A San Diego fat grafting procedure is safe but can include possible risks such as bruising, swelling, numbness, small scars, and infection.

What is the Recovery from a Fat Transfer like?

You may experience some moderate swelling for a couple of weeks after your procedure. Some bruising may be temporarily noticeable. Your face could look a bit plump or swollen for a week. You can usually go back to your normal activities after your procedure. It can take up to six months before you see the full effect of the procedure since time is needed for your body to reabsorb the injected fat.

What to Expect in a Consultation

If you are interested in facial fat grafting San Diego plastic surgeon Dr. Malone will evaluate your facial anatomy and discuss in detail your specific needs. She will discuss with you all of the non-surgical and surgical options available to refresh your appearance and answer all of your questions. Your customized treatment will provide a more rested, refreshed appearance. The goal is that you recieve the best facial fat transfer San Diego has to offer. Therefore, your treatment will be based upon your individual facial anatomy and personal preferences in order to address these problem areas:

Sagging, deflated cheeks
Dark Circles underneath your eyes
Deep nasolabial folds
Jowls
Square shaped lower face

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Heart-Shaped Faces

Our facial aging process includes sagging and dropping of our facial tissues and simultaneous loss of volume or “deflation” over time. These two processes occur simultaneously affecting each of us based on our genetic inheritance, lifestyle choices and unique facial anatomy. The volume loss is most notable as we lose the heart-shaped face of youth.

When we are young, our face has full high cheeks and a slender smooth jawline tapering down to our chin. This heart-shape draws attention upwards to our eyes.

As we all age, the volume loss in our cheeks, the dark circles under our eyes and drooping of our facial tissues create more fullness in the lower third of our face and neck. These changes create a more square-shaped face and draws attention to our jowls and full neck and an appearance that is terse with our friends and family often mistake you of being “tired” or “angry” even when you’ve had a full night’s rest.

A San Diego fat transfer or a fat injection treatment utilizes your own fat tissue, which we harvest from the abdomen. This fat is prepared in our laboratory according to special protocols to create micro droplets of fat cells that can be added back to your face where your youthful baby fat has been lost. The fat cells are injected in multiple layers extending from the facial skeleton to add support and structure, causing the facial muscles to smooth, and the facial skin to plump and rejuvenate.

These treatments can eliminate under-the-eye shadows and wrinkling, lift drooping cheeks, fill deepened nasolabial folds and smooth out jowls on the jawline. The fat in our body contains stem cells that have the power to renew our facial tissues and create new healthy facial tissue by their biologically and hormonally mediated activity. These stem cells have been shown to enhance our skin quality and the underlying facial support structures, thereby turning back the hands of time.

“You have helped me more than you’ll ever know. You possess the qualities not only of an excellent physician but of an extraordinary human being as well.” —Facelift, lip lift, chin implant (F.K.)

“Thank you for the smile on my face whenever I look in the mirror, you’re an incredible lady and surgeon” —Facelift, Lip Lift, Laser skin resurfacing (B.P.)

“Dr. Malone is great! She is very friendly, honest, clear and understanding. Never had to wait longer then 10 minutes. It is easy to make an appointment by phone or email. Truly pleased with the results!” —Botox (C.V.)

“I am 69 years old and had a deep plane face lift with Dr. Malone my results are fabulous. She is an excellent surgeon and a caring kind person as well. Would highly recommend her.” —Deep Plane Facelift (aerobicgal)

“Not only did she straighten out my nose and significantly improve my breathing but she was very attentive and had a great bedside manner! I've had nothing but complements on how good my new nose looks!” —Septoplasty (M.H.)

“She is kind, caring, listened to and addressed all of my concerns, explained everything in detail, and was always available, before and after surgery.” —Facelift (B.)

“If I could give her 10 stars I would! She was very attentive during AND after the visit and her bed side manner is impeccable. I would recommend her a million times over to anyone looking for an amazing MD.” —Restylane (S.D.)

“I saw Dr. Malone back in Nov 2017, she was an absolute delight. I knew I was in good hands. Her empathetic bedside manner made me feel confident in her abilities to give me the exact results I envisioned. ” —Rhinoplasty (N.K.)

San Diego Facial Plastic Surgeon, Dr Melanie Malone MD, FACS

Dr. Malone’s Philosophy

Dr. Malone's approach in La Jolla is all about personalization, tailoring treatments specifically to address your unique concerns and aesthetic goals. Our goal is to bring out a rejuvenated appearance that mirrors the vitality you feel within. Dr. Malone's expertise ensures seamless enhancements, avoiding any unwarranted attention. She achieves the subtle refreshment that helps bring back what a restful night's sleep used to give. Dr. Malone's aesthetic is characterized by its natural, gentle, and harmonious qualities, empowering you to confidently present your best self. Her aspiration is to assist every patient in achieving a naturally balanced aesthetic, ensuring you always project your most confident self.

Dr. Malone holds prestigious Fellow status in The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and The American College of Surgeons. This remarkable honor is granted to a select group of surgeons based on their exceptional training, professional qualifications, surgical competence, and ethical standards.

Committed to perfecting her craft and achieving technical excellence, Dr. Malone successfully completed her fellowship under the mentorship of the esteemed facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Andrew Jacono. Dr. Jacono is celebrated for his groundbreaking work in advancing the deep plane facelift technique, which not only minimizes noticeable scarring but also revitalizes the underlying facial tissues. This innovative approach steers clear of the artificial results commonly linked to traditional facelift methods. Leveraging Dr. Jacono's pioneering technique, Dr. Malone offers her patients remarkably natural and authentic outcomes in facial rejuvenation.

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