Collagen-fat injectable fillers also called as soft-tissue augmentation is a cosmetic plastic surgery procedure performed to correct wrinkles, depressions in the skin, and scarring. The procedure involves injecting a substance (collagen and/or fat) into the skin in order to plump or fill-up the area being treated. The result of the procedure is usually not permanent and touch-up injections may be needed every three to 12 months. For some, however, the collagen injections can stimulate the body's own production of collagen, lengthening the time necessary between follow-up injections.
Similar to collagen, a natural protein found in humans, injectable collagen is made from cows. This protein gives support and structure to skin, bones, ligaments, and other body parts. Collagen-related fillers from tissue donors or self-donated are generally utilized to treat wrinkles, scars, and facial lines. In some individuals, the results may last only a few weeks. In others, the results may be maintained indefinitely. Researchers believe that age, genetic background, skin quality and lifestyle as well as the injected body site may all play a role in the injected material's staying power; however, the precise reason for the variation of results among patients has yet to be identified.
Allergic reaction is the primary risk of collagen. If patients are allergic to the substance, the surgeon will perform an allergy skin test about a month before the procedure. After the test is performed, the test site should be watched carefully for three or four weeks or as long as the surgeon advises. Any sign of redness, itching, swelling or other occurrences at the test site should be reported to the surgeon. Allergic reaction is not a factor for fat because it's harvested from a patient's own body. However, there is still a small risk of infection and other infrequent complications. Risks not necessarily related to allergies including infection, abscesses, open sores, skin peeling, scarring and lumpiness, which may persist over the treated area which are very rare.
The most important fact to remember about collagen-fat injections fillers is that the results are not permanent. The body eventually metabolizes injected material. The patient should not expect the same long lasting results that may be gained from cosmetic surgery.
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