Fat grafting offers reliable and lasting improvement for patients seeking chin augmentation, according to a new study published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (December 2017). Filipe V. Basile, MD, and Antonio Roberto Basile, MD, plastic surgeons in Ribeirao Preto-SP, Brazil, performed a prospective study that included 42 patients: 32 women and 10 men (average age 28 years). In each patient, the surgeons removed adipose tissue from the inferior abdomen via liposuction using a 2mm blunt cannula and transferred an average of 75 ml of fat to the chin. The researchers used 3D imaging to compare sagittal projection and total estimated volume preoperatively and at 1 and 6 months postoperatively.
Four weeks after fat grafting, the chin volume increased by an average of 8 milliliters. While there was some resorption of the transferred fat cells, after six months the average increase in chin volume was still 7.4 milliliters. On average, about 82 percent of the injected fat survived.
The 3D measurements showed a similar pattern of improvement in chin projection, with an average increase of about 9 millimeters at four weeks and 7 millimeters at six months. Complications were uncommon and mild. Three patients returned for additional injections to gain a further increase in chin projection.
Based on their experience, Drs. Basile and Basile write that fat grafting has become an "important tool" for improving the profile of cosmetic surgery patients. It can be performed on its own or in combination with other cosmetic procedures, such as facelift or rhinoplasty. The authors note that some patients who hesitate to undergo chin augmentation using implants are more likely to accept fat grafting.
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