How This Procedure Is Performed
The costs of cheek augmentation surgery varies significantly between surgeons, medical facilities, and regions of the country. Patients who need additional or more extensive surgery will require more intensive and expensive treatment. In non-private surgery If going for just fat grafting and depending upon your surgeon you may be given an oral sedative (valium) and receive injections of sterile saline, Lidocaine, and possibly epinephrine as a vasoconstrictor and bicarbonate (to neutralize the acidity of the preservative in the Lidocaine) in your treatment area(s) and your donor site. If you are having liposuction for body contouring you will probably be under IV sedation or other and can have the fat "harvested" during your procedure although usually the liposuction/fat removal is removed with more suction pressure than 1/2 atm. (a measure of pressure). Thereby traumatizing the fat cells. If the fat cells' membranes are destroyed during the removal then fat cell survival is compromised. But if the removal can be performed without rupturing the membrane with the use of a special 3mm titanium cannula specifically for fat removal for reimplantation, then liposuction should be fine.
If primarily for fat grafting, the fat will more than likely be removed with a local anesthetic only although some surgeons may prefer performing the procedure under an oral sedative, light IV sedation or "Twilight"
This fat will be removed from the donor site (usually the buttocks, abdomen or the saddle bags - although the saddle bags can be quite fibrous) with a small hypodermic needle using 1/2 atm. (atmosphere) of suction as so not to damage the membrane of the fat cell. The fat is then spun in a centrifuge to remove excess fluids and the damaged fat cells are "picked out" and only whole, undamaged fat cells would be used. But don't count on this with all surgeons - choose your surgeon wisely. The fat is then injected with the use of a separate smaller hypodermic either just under the wrinkle or deep within the muscle (in SOME areas) as their is a higher vascularity within the muscle increasing the longevity of the fat graft. With very superficial use of large amount of fat - lumpiness and calcifications can occur.
To increase longevity, some surgeons spin a vial of your own blood to remove proteins, add a vitamin C complex to this mixture to create PlasmaGel®, oxygen rich serums, some even add albumin [: serum albumin : a crystallizable albumin or mixture of albumins that normally constitutes more than half of the protein in blood serum, that serves to maintain the osmotic pressure of the blood (or fat cells), and that is used in transfusions esp. for the treatment of shock] The use of PlasmaGel® or albumin sort of shrinks the fat cells or toughens their membrane to prohibit membrane destruction during re-implantation and less trauma to the fat cell. Of course there may be differences in surgical technique depending upon the preference of your surgeon.
Some surgeons implant or "thread" individual "strands" of fat cells one by one. This procedure takes time but is often thought to last the longest. Of course this results in minute incisions but the rewards are said to be a longer lasting graft.
You are then gently awakened and brought into the recovery room where the recovery nurse will monitor your vital stats until you are ready to be released. This is dependent upon the individual but may take up to two hours. Your face may feel tight and quite tender as the anesthesia wears off. Your donor site may be be sore as well. You may even feel emotional or upset - this will depend upon your body's reaction to anesthesia. You may also experience "rigors" or shivering. This may feel uncontrollable and is usually from the medications - more than likely epinephrine that is used as a vasoconstrictor. The recovery nurse usually has wrapped you in a warm blanket but if not, request one. It certainly makes things more tolerable. You may be fortunate to have access to a heat lamp in some recovery rooms.
Some patients feel nothing different although if you have had General you may feel a little sick - hopefully your surgeon gave you something to lessen this. Your prescribed medication should alleviate this pain and discomfort. However, if you believe your pain to be out of the ordinary once you get home, call your surgeon or the on call staff immediately. You will be driven home by your spouse, significant other or friend as you will not be able to see, much less drive yourself home.
|
Login
08-22-2007, 12:02 AM
Linear Mode
