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Fat Transfer near Fort Lauderdale, FLAutologous fat grafting may be the answer to hand aging – a problem that often confounds efforts at rejuvenation. At least one plastic and reconstructive surgeon argues that fat grafting can provide “long-term skin thickening and rejuvenating functions far beyond its initial filling effect.”

Why is hand rejuvenation so challenging? If you look at your hand, you’ll see that it’s composed of many small bones, muscles, and tendons. Hands are very important in everyday life – imagine trying to work without the use of your hands. Because of the hand’s complexity and usefulness, no degree of rejuvenation is worth the risk of surgery. Plastic surgeons who want to rejuvenate the appearance of their patients’ hands have to use nonsurgical rejuvenation methods, such as injectable fillers. Anything else is too risky.

Why dermal fillers? They can restore volume that is usually lost during the aging process, and fill in deeper lines and wrinkles. However, according to Sydney R. Coleman, MD, fat grafting can provide much more than dermal fillers such as Juvederm, Radiesse, and Restylane.

“People wonder why we’re putting fat in the hand, [since after childhood] there’s little if any fat in the hand. But we’re learning now that aging has a lot to do with atrophy…. Hand rejuvenation isn’t just filling, if it involves changing the quality of the skin.” The hands of younger people appear softer and have thicker skin than older hands. As a result, any truly effective hand rejuvenation method must involve restoring the thickness of skin on the hands.

What is fat grafting? Fat grafting involves extracting unwanted fat from one part of the body, such as the tummy, usually through liposuction. After being specially treated, the fat is injected to add volume into another part of the body. Fat grafting is often used as a facial procedure to add volume to hollow cheeks and sunken lips.

How can fat grafting change the quality of the skin? Human body fat contains a high quantity of mesenchymal stem cells, which can repair tissues, improve blood supply, and prevent scarring. Studies have shown that injecting fat under normal skin can thicken the skin as much as 100 percent in animals. Dr. Coleman argues that this creates a more natural appearance, with results that last longer than dermal fillers.