Fat Transfer Can Provide a More Youthful Look to Hands

Many people look at their hands and realize that their hands give away their age. Just as the face and body can be plumped and lifted to restore a more youthful appearance, the hands too can benefit from procedures to soften old and aging features. With thinning skin, the veins and tendons beneath the surface become more prominent showing the signs of aging. There is a solution that is gentle and easy to help restore lost volume to your hands so that your hands are as adorning as the rings and bracelets that grace them.

An effective and powerful technique, fat transfer or fat grafting can contour both the hands and body. It can help hide some of the underlying structures of the hand that become more visible as we age.

Benefits of Fat Grafting

There are many benefits that come with fat grafting in the hands including:

• Restoring the fullness of the back of the hand
• Plumping of hollow areas
• Eliminating the look of thinning skin
• The Fat Grafting Procedure

The fat grafting procedure essentially entails two procedures — harvesting of fat and the injection of that fat into the hands. During the first part of the procedure, the hands are marked including injection sites and surrounding structures such as tendons. The site from which the fat will be harvested is cleaned with antiseptic and marked. These harvest sites are usually places of the body with excess fat deposits, so that areas that need plumping obtain the volume from areas that have too much.

Both sites are anesthetized. At the harvest site, a tumescent fluid is injected to help loosen the fat deposits. The lidocaine in this fluid numbs the area while the epinephrine constricts blood vessels to reduce bleeding and bruising.

The fat is then harvested using micro cannulas and gentle suction. This harvested fat is then transferred to a large syringe from the which excess fluid is separated and discarded. Once treated, the fat is placed is placed into smaller syringes that allow for more accurate and precise injections into the hands.

The fat is then injected with a blunt canula into the hands through tiny incisions between the fingers. Injection sites between the fingers reduce the appearance of any potential scars. The total quantity injected depends on the amount of volume needed. After injection, fat is gently molded to produce a smooth, natural appearing contour.

Incisions in the hands and the harvest site are sutured and bandages are applied.

After the Procedure

Because of the minimally invasive nature of this procedure, there is relatively little downtime. However, you should treat your hands gently and should avoid strenuous exercise or activities for a few weeks. You may experience some minor discomfort that can be alleviated with over-the-counter pain relievers.

Fat transfer into the hands, not only replenishes lost volume, but the stem cells in the grafted fat are thought to produce collagen synthesis to thicken skin, soften lines and reduce the appearance of underlying veins, tendons and joints. The induced rejuvenation continues can evolve over months and years.