Improving the aesthetic aspect of soft tissue defects on the face using autologous fat transplantation

The correction of contour defects presents a surgical challenge. Many attempts have been made during the past decades to correct skin defects with biologic, artificial, or autologous implants. Unfortunately most biologic materials are resorbed within a few months and the artificial ones are reported to cause complications. In recent years the transplantation of autologous fat, after liposuction with the syringe method, has become an established method. The survival of the transplanted fat tissue is still a controversial subject. Since 1987, we have been performing microlipotransplantation of autologous fat to correct contour defects, mainly of the face. We have treated a total of 176 patients with different tissue defects. With follow-up as long as 8 years, the best results were with scars and atrophies. For augmentation of soft tissue defects with dermal and subdermal components, the autologous transplantation of lipoaspirated fat tissue seems to be the treatment of choice.