Autologen. Fat becomes useful.
Autologen: A material used as a facial filler to eliminate wrinkles and in lip augmentation to produce the look of fuller lips. Autologen is derived from your own skin and then injected into the treatment area.
Autologous fat injectables ranked the 23rd most popular cosmetic procedure (surgical or non-surgical) in 2008. The procedure, chosen mostly by women for lip augmentation, is often viewed as a better alternative to collagen injections because it is derived from your own tissue, therefore reducing or eliminating the risk of rejection. It is generally $1200-$1500 and involves at least two events – a surgery to remove your fat and then the injection(s) to redistribute it. Additionally, it takes 3 or 4 weeks of processing to extract the collagen, sterilize it and prepare it for re-injection. Often, if skin is removed during another procedure, such as a tummy tuck, breast or facelift, the skin removed can be turned into autologen and either used or stored cryogenically for up to five years. The whole process seems laborious, but several injections can be performed at 1- to 3-month intervals. The effect lasts from 4-9 months. It has not been proven to be permanent.
Resources:
Both of these websites give a scientific, no-frills, kind of gross explanation of what autologen is and how it is derived:
- http://www.infoplasticsurgery.com/facial/wrinkletreatment/collagen.html
- http://www.smartskincare.com/treatments/fillers/injautograft_human-collagen.html
