Fat fat fat. I love it. It is liquid gold. I inject it all the time into the face, and the results are amazing. Love those stem cells. Such good stuff.
This was an article in my current fave Science of Aging supplement in PRS. “Prediction of Facial Aging Using the Facial Fat Compartments.”
This article isn’t as much about the cellular aging that I’ve been writing about. Instead, the authors are discussing the facial fat compartments- superficial and deep- and how there is a predictability to facial aging. So this article really isn’t telling me much that is new, as I live and breathe this daily, but it is a good recap.
- There are deep and superficial fat compartments. The deep compartments lose volume faster, which causes the superficial fat to lose their support so they droop.
- There are 23 superficial fat compartments: forehead, around the eye, midface, and lower face
- There are fewer deep fat compartments: mainly around the cheek and eye.
- There is a sequence to fat loss: It tends to start in the lateral and middle cheek in your 40s-50s, followed by the central cheek in your 50s. This is what causes the tear trough (your eyes look tired) and the V deformity (the indent that runs from your nose down your cheeks like an inverted V). NOTE: Anytime they name deformities, it means everyone gets them. This is typical aging. Then you see loss in the temple area and forehead in your 70s.
My thoughts?
This is my wheelhouse. I agree with most of the above, though when I do fat grafting, most people need to do all of the areas, even in your 40s, including the temples. I do 3D imaging, which I find is helpful to really show you where you have lost volume. Exactly where and how much everyone needs fat differs from patient to patient, but I think treating the entire face gives a more seamless, natural result.
I love adding fat back to the face. There are no scars, it is super natural, it has stem cell induced improvement in skin quality, and in some patients it almost looks like a facelift. It is the best.
So this article didn’t further what I know, but it just reaffirms.