Patients seeking to replenish lost volume in the face or often turn to dermal fillers. Hyaluronic acid (HA) based injectables have been a frequent option, regularly landing among the most commonly performed minimally invasive cosmetic procedures in the United States. In 2023, soft-tissue fillers were in the second spot of the top five, landing behind wrinkle-relaxing neuromodulators but ahead of lasers, chemical peels, and other skin-resurfacing strategies.
Despite these fillers’ popularity, however, Dr. John Q. Cook at Whole Beauty® Institute is seeing what seems to be a shift in the trend. When it comes to adding volume to several zones of the face, a popular choice has been facial fat transfer at his Chicago-area practice.
“I have extensive experience with fat transfer,” Dr. Cook says, “as well as with helping patients choose the ideal treatment based on the results they want. As of mid-2024, I’m seeing some people backing off on both fillers and wrinkle-relaxers, with some trend-setting voices in Europe saying they no longer want these materials in their faces.”
Fat transfer represents an option with more natural “ingredients,” since it uses a patient’s own harvested fat cells as opposed to something made in a lab. The fat transfer provides dual benefits in this way: It creates results that can be more natural-looking, as well as lowers the chances of a reaction to the volume-adding filler which is considered an implantable device by the FDA.
“I do think that for younger patients, there is a tremendous case to be made for using their own cells and regenerative material as opposed to something synthetic,” Dr. Cook says.
As one of the pioneering Midwest plastic surgeons to first use facial fat transfer for the restoration of lost facial volume, Dr. Cook has particular insight into the option—as well as practical experience in the form of performing several thousands of these procedures over the years.
For more information about facial fat transfer vs. dermal fillers, contact Whole Beauty® Institute. Send a message online or call the Chicago office at 312-751-2112 or the Winnetka office at 847-446-7562.