• General Information

LIPOLASER ON CHEEKS, NECK AND FACE

A face with accumulated fat immediately suggests excess weight but this is no always true, some cases are more common than others:

Facial fattening due to increased body weight comes about when weight is gained, fat has greater tendency to accumulate on the abdomen or sides but it also does so on the face and neck. In these cases it is corrected through dieting and weight loss, correcting most of the problem although there can always remain some areas which can be specifically rectified with laser lipolysis. This should be assessed when patients have reached their normal weight.

On the other hand, an increase in facial size due to muscular hypertrophy is caused as a consequence of the development, larger size and strength of the muscles of mastication (masseters), as occurs when continuously tightening the jaws (bruxism) while sleeping or awake. Treatment in this case requires temporal relaxation of the muscles involved through micro injections of the botulinum toxin. These muscles cause the distortion of the face, not the excess of fat accumulation in the area.

In other cases the facial enlargement is caused by congenital factors. We all have a genetic makeup that defines our basic anatomy, the positioning and size of the bones and muscles in face and neck as well as the tendency to have more or less fat tissue on these areas. If a more harmonious readjustment of volume between the different parts of the face is required, by eliminating fat tissue, this can be done with laser lipolysis. Pad-like adipose accumulation can also be eliminated in the cheeks, the aesthetic treatment can then be completed by increasing volume in other areas such as the chin, lips or cheekbones through volumetric corrections made with solid prosthesis or injectable reabsorbable or permanent fillers.

The face and neck can also be enlarge due to ageing. With the effects of time and gravity, it is frequent for the subcutaneous tissue to thin out with a reabsorbtion of fat on certain levels and accumulation on others. Loss of tonicity of the facial muscles which is concomitant in this process together with the effect of gravity makes the adipose tissues in the eyelids appear distorted or protruding, bulging around the eyes and causing palpebral pouches. The same occurs with the adipose pads on the cheeks, with the loss of their correct position on the face gives way to the appearance of chubby cheeks around the angles of the lips and the sensation of a drooping face. The ball of fat in the cheeks can be intra-orally removed and the excess fat tissue treated with lipolaser.

In some endocrinological disorders, facial enlargement may appear due to hormonal changes, which clinically manifest in Cushing's syndrome and hypothyroidism. It is also the product of unhealthy habits such as alcohol consumption which favours its appearance. The sustained intake of corticoids can also cause it. The pathological base should be treated if possible, before searching for localised corrections.

The best indication of laser lipolysis is in treating the double chin. In cases of patients with excess fat on the neck, quite often hereditary, the definitive solution is inverting the curve in the neck's skin, rather than the elimination of a large volume of fat. This is achieved through major retraction caused by the laser in this area.

Laser lipolysis (lipolaser) techniques destroy part of the adipocytes (adipose cells) that do not newly multiply in adults. The harmonization of the figure remains permanent if the patient does not gain weight. There is no multiplication of fat cells in adults, although there may be hypertrophy (augmentation in their size due to an increase of the lipidic content in their interior).

The gentle body contouring through the elimination of several centimetres of volume is possible with the lipolaser technique. We can also obtain good quality skin contraction, improve its texture and achieve a more homogenous and aesthetic result. It is a very interesting technique for areas considered to have uncertain results with conventional techniques, such as retouching previous liposuctions with poor aesthetic results, areas of laxity such as inside thigh and arms, areas with flaccidity due to ageing such as the waistline and bra rolls or areas of difficult access such as the axillary region, calves and ankles. The skin contraction that accompanies laser lipolysis makes it an interesting resource in the treatment of double chins and in contouring the face or slimming it.