Hand Rejuvenation — Craig Mezrow MS, MD, FACS

What is Hand Rejuvenation?

Your own fat can be used as a soft tissue filler material to enhance volume or fill in depressions. Fat injection also referred to as autologous fat grafting, which transfers fat from one part of the body to another. It can be used to rejuvenate hands or to fill depressed regions or depressed scarred areas on any part of the body. It can also be used in the face, to augment lips, diminish frown lines, nasolabial folds (smile lines); and to restore volume to the cheeks as well as provide definition to the jaw line and or the chin. Fat injection permanency is variable depending on the region, and often requires multiple sessions for optimal results.

Consulting with Dr. Mezrow:

During the consultation, Dr. Mezrow will ask you about your particular concerns regarding the region you wish to improve upon or rejuvenate. This will help determine your expectations and determine whether they can be realistically achieved.

After obtaining a comprehensive medical and surgical history, Dr. Mezrow will perform an examination of the regions of your face or body that you are interested in rejuvenating. In addition, Dr. Mezrow will evaluate donor sites typically the abdomen, hips or thighs where there is excess fat to be harvested for fat grafting.

Check out Before and After photos of our clients

How is the procedure done/Where will I have scars?

The procedure is performed under local anesthesia as an outpatient. The donor site (for example, abdomen, hips or thighs) and the recipient sites are injected with local anesthetic. The fat from the donor site is harvested through a very small incision. The fat is then processed – cleansed to remove excess fluid and oils and reinjected through very small incisions into the regions to be rejuvenated or depressions that are to be improved upon.

The procedure typically takes approximately 1-3 hours to perform depending on the number of regions to be fat grafted. Most patients recover within 1 to 2 hours after surgery and are discharged home. Fat grafting is performed as an outpatient procedure. It is important to arrange for someone to drive you home after surgery and to stay with you for at least the next one day.

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What are the potential complications?

Fortunately, significant complications from autologous fat grafting surgery are infrequent, however, all surgery has risks. Dr. Mezrow will discuss with you, the risks, benefits and alternatives and answer all your questions.

Some potential complications include infection, bleeding, asymmetries, over or under correction, complete graft loss, visual changes and poor scarring. A complication, which delays healing and prolongs recovery, is more common in diabetic patients and those who smoke.

Preoperative and postoperative instructions will be given to you by Dr. Mezrow in attempt to reduce the likelihood of complications and make you as comfortable as possible with the whole process. Smokers will be instructed to stop smoking 4-6 weeks prior to surgery and not resume smoking to reduce the risk of delayed healing, wounds, infections and compromised outcome. Aspirin, anti-inflammatory medications as well as agents that cause bleeding should be discontinued two weeks prior to surgery (or as otherwise instructed by Dr. Mezrow and your primary physician) to reduce the likelihood of bleeding.

What kind of medications will be given to me?

Medications are administered for your comfort during the surgical procedure. Typically, a local anesthetic is administered, so that you will be comfortable throughout the procedure. When surgery is completed, you will be taken into a recovery area where you will continue to be closely monitored. You will have ice packs over the areas treated and a compressive garment where the fat was harvest from. You may be permitted to go home after recovery.

What happens after surgery?

After surgery, you should rest quietly with ice packs over the areas of your face fat grafted and keeping your head elevated. If lip augmentation is performed, in addition to applying ice, the lips should be kept moist with lip ointment or balm. It is essential to remember, not take aspirin or certain anti-inflammatory medications to decrease the risk of bleeding.

Strenuous activities including straining, bending and lifting should be avoided for the first several days, since these activities might cause compromised results including but not limited to increased swelling or even bleeding.

After surgery, patients experience varying degrees of swelling and bruising that will resolve with time. Within the first week you will be permitted to use makeup, if desired, to conceal any discoloration.

When can I return to work?

Depending on your physical condition, you may be able to return to work in approximately one week after surgery.

How long is the healing process?

Healing from your surgery is a process that takes up to a year for final result. You will be instructed to return to Dr. Mezrow’s office for follow-up care at prescribed intervals to monitor your progress and optimize your outcome.
During healing you may experience some mild, periodic discomfort and swelling, such feelings are normal. There is variability for person-to-person with regard to fat take and longevity. Additional sessions are often performed to optimize the results.

Autologous fat grafting can be performed to rejuvenate your face, augment your lips or fill depressions in other areas of your body such as thighs for example. It is all natural process using your own fat to rejuvenate yourself so that you feel more confident about your appearance.

If you have any questions or concerns prior to surgery or during your recovery, you should contact Dr. Mezrow.