Simultaneous rhytidoplasty and lipoinjection: a comprehensive aesthetic surgical strategy

Fat autografting is an accepted technique in the treatment of depressions or augmenting thin soft tissues. Aging soft tissues become thin, among them the subcutaneous fat layer, muscles, and fasciae, and these tissues in addition become flaccid. Therefore, to get better results in rejuvenation plastic surgery, a good alternative is the combination of lifting the flaccid tissues and thickening the thin soft tissues with a lack of contour and definition, which enhances the aspect of the entire face and neck. For 10 years in our practice, we have been combining rhytidoplasty (which includes systematizing superficial musculoaponeurotic system and platysma plication) with lipoinjection, placing thin rolls of autologous fat into the facial and cervical muscles, or at least under the fasciae. The results reveal a very high success rate with few minor complications. Proper diagnosis, patient selection, and adequate surgical technique produce predictable and favorable aesthetic results. A concurrent retrospective study of 357 consecutive patients who underwent simultaneous rhytidoplasty and lipoinjection was conducted over a 10-year period (1985 to 1995). The purpose of this article is to show our experience with this method, including long follow-up observations.