In recent years, there has been increasing demand for temporary dermal fillers, as men and women search for an anti-ageing solution that avoids surgery.
What is the difference between FAMI and the dermal fillers on the market?
Temporary dermal fillers, in the hands of a skilled and experienced practitioner, can be a good treatment to replace lost volume and restore the contours of the face. There are a number of products that fall into this category and it’s important to know the differences.
The most well-known temporary dermal fillers are the hyaluronic acid ones and the leaders in the market are Restylane and Juvederm. Hyaluronic acid is a substance that is naturally found in the body and it performs the important job of retaining volume and moisture in the facial tissue. As you age your levels of hyaluronic acid naturally deplete which is why the skin loses its plumpness.
The product is injected in very tiny amounts into the target area, but it is a foreign material so there is always a small risk of an allergic reaction. The effects of Restylane and Juvederm are instantaneous and you see the increased volume exactly as it will appear in the final result.
Within the Restylane and Juvederm brands there are a number of products with different consistencies that target distinct ageing concerns. This varies from augmenting the lips, filling and softening lines and folds, to replacing lost volume in the mid-face area.
These hyaluronic acid-based products are biodegradable, so over time they will naturally and safely disappear from the skin, at which point you may want a repeat treatment. Depending on the individual patient and the area where the filler is injected, they will generally last nine to twelve months.
Another popular product is Sculptra. This product contains poly-l-lactic acid, another biocompatible substance that is easily broken down by the body over time. Sculptra is particularly effective for volume loss and can be used to correct irregularities and deep folds as well as add volume to the mid-face.
It works slightly differently from hyaluronic acid dermal fillers, as it can take a few weeks to see the full effect and it lasts much longer, up to two years for some patients. All of these products can produce an allergic reaction in very sensitive patients, which is the main complication of injecting a foreign product into the body.
FAMI, on the other hand, takes the patient’s own stem and fat cells which are then injected deep under the dermis, placed in the muscular structure of the face. FAMI has a number of benefits in relation to dermal fillers: firstly, it causes no allergic reaction as it is in your own cells being reinjected.
Secondly, the results continue to improve with time and, as well as restoring lost volume, there is a marked improvement to the quality of the skin as well.
FAMI creates a very soft and natural effect and, as it is regenerating your lost tissue, there is no chance of creating a very different appearance, unlike dermal filler injections which can sometimes alter the contours of the face.
Furthermore, the results of FAMI last. Dr Roger Amar has been performing FAMI for over 15 years and there has only been a couple of patients return for a touch-up. Follow-up pictures taken many years after the original procedure capture this continued improvement.
