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A fat pad is a collection of densely packed fat cells encapsulated within a fibrous tissue envelope. They can occur at multiple locations throughout the body and can become more apparent with age. Common ones are under the eyes (often called “eye bags”), on the upper cheeks (called “festoons” or “malar bags”), on the jawline (called “jowl pads”) as well as the fatty lumps that can occur anywhere on the body (called “lipomas”).
“Lipomas” are covered in detail in another section on our website.
The facial contours change with time as we know. We lose volume in some areas and gain fat pads in others, and all of this contributes to the appearance of the aging face. Replacing volume where it is lost with dermal fillers or fat grafting assists in providing a more youthful appearance but this doesn’t change the fact the fat pads are present- removing them is the way to reduce or eliminate their contribution to the aging face.
The most common areas of concern are fat pads in the face include under the eye, along the jawline or jowl area, the neck, but any area can be treated.
Downtime depends on the treatment. The two main non-surgical treatments for removing or reducing fat pads include Lipolysis (“lipodissolve”) and Morpheus8 (microneedling with radiofrequency).
Lipolysis consists of injecting a mixture of vitamins together with fat digesting enzymes (similar to those enzymes found naturally in our digestive tracts) that have one specific function and that is to digest and dissolve away the fat cells where the solution is injected. Because fat cells do not replicate/come back the results will be permanent.
The treatment does not need any anaesthetic and is very well tolerated. There is some swelling and possibly minor bruising and tenderness lasting a few days, and there may be slight soreness which settles after 20 minutes.
Morpheus8 is the latest, advanced, micro-needling device with which precisely controlled high levels of radiofrequency (RF) energy is passed through special pins that are designed to deliver the RF directly into the fat pads. The high intensity RF heats and melts the fat cells instantly reducing the fat pads while at the same time triggering the dermis to stimulate collagen and elastin production. Thus, it not only reduces or removes the fat pads but also tightens the skin. This would be an obvious advantage when treating areas such as the eye bags and jowls!
Topical anaesthetic is usually applied to the area for 45 minutes for comfort. There may be some swelling and redness for a few days after. The procedure is usually very well tolerated. As with lipolysis, the fat cells are removed permanently.
Most concerns have more than one course of treatment. Feel free to contact us so one of our team can discuss options for your unique concern.
