Lipofilling

Plastic and esthetic surgeon in Tunisia

The principle is an autograft of fat cells from fat harvested from the patient.
Lipostructure can be used for many depressions (troughs) which can be natural or post-traumatic.
The aims and indications of this procedure can be summed up as follows:

1) Aesthetic indications
- The filling and smoothing of certain wrinkles, especially of the face.
- Restoration of the a�?fullnessa�� of a gaunt face or one showing the first signs of aging.
- Restoration of volume and shape to the face : especially in the case of a face emaciated by aging.
- In complement to certain neck- and face-lifts to give a more balanced result.
- As an additional procedure after a previous face-lift, to improve the shape of the mid-section of the face without resorting to another face-lift.

2) Indications concerning restorative or reconstructive surgery :

- Filling of a depressed zone resulting from injury
- Correction of irregularities following an unsatisfactory liposuction procedure.
- Correction of wasting after triple therapy for HIV + patients.

It is important to keep in mind that lipostructure is a truly surgical technique which must be carried out by a competent, qualified Plastic Surgeon, who is experienced in this technique and who operates in a surgical environment.

a�? HOSPITAL STAY AND TYPE OF ANESTHESIA

Type of anesthesia
Local anesthesia with sedation given by intravenous drip (a�?twilighta�� anesthesia) is the usual choice for lipostructure. One can also use local anesthesia alone, or general anesthesia.
The type of anesthesia will be chosen after discussion between yourself, the surgeon and the anesthesiologist
Hospital stay
The procedure may be carried out on an outpatient basis, in an ambulatory facility, the patient arrives and leaves on the same day. Admission is one hour before surgery, with no food or drink taken for 6 hours before arrival. The patient is discharged three to five hours after the procedure.

a�? THE PROCEDURE

We start by carefully defining the areas from which the fat will be harvested, and the re-injection sites.

The harvesting of fat is carried out atraumatically through a tiny incision hidden in the natural skin creases, using a small canula.
An area with reserves, or even an excess, of fat will be chosen for harvesting, at a site not normally visible.

After harvesting, centrifugation will be carried out for a few minutes, in order to separate the intact fat cells, which will form the graft, from elements which cannot be used.
Re-injection is carried out through 1mm incisions using micro-canulas.
Since there is true bonding of living cells, when the technique is correct and the graft takes, these grafted cells will become a living part of the body. This means that lipostructure is a permanent technique since the grafted fat cells will live for as long as the surrounding tissues.