SIMULTANEOUS RHYTIDOPLASTY AND LIPOINJECTION - A COMPREHENSIVE AESTHETIC SURGICAL STRATEGY

Fat autografting is an accepted technique in the treatment of depressi ons or augmenting thin soft tissues. Aging soft tissues become thin, a mong them the subcutaneous fat layer, muscles, and fasciae, and these tissues in addition become flaccid. Therefore, to Set better results i n rejuvenation plastic surgery, a good alternative is the combination of lifting: the flaccid tissues and thickening the thin soft tissues w ith a lack of contour and definition, which enhances the aspect of the entire face and neck. For 10 years in our practice, we have been comb ining rhytidoplasty (which includes systematizing superficial musculoa poneurotic system and platysma plication) with lipoinjection, placing thin rolls of autologous fat into the facial and cervical muscles, or at least under the fasciae. The results reveal a very high success rat e with few minor complications. Proper diagnosis, patient selection, a nd adequate surgical technique produce predictable and favorable aesth etic results. A concurrent retrospective study of 357 consecutive pati ents who underwent simultaneous rhytidoplasty and lipoinjection was co nducted over a 10-year period (1985 to 1995). The purpose of this arti cle is to show our experience with this method, including long follow- up observations.