“An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision”
James Abbott McNeill Whistler 1834-1903
Dr. Joshua Halpern believes that the invention of the modern fat transfer procedure has transformed the art of Plastic Surgery, taking it to a new and higher level. The procedure involves removing fat from one area of the body and strategically transferring it to another, where it is more beneficial.
What Does It Mean?
Over the course of time, as we age, we lose fat in our vulnerable areas such as our hands or face, resulting in a much older look. Fat transfers can be performed on patients from head to toe.
When performed by a qualified Board Certified plastic surgeon, fat transfer revolutionizes results and enhances outcomes that the surgeon can achieve for the patient. In the hands of an artist, like Dr. Halpern, it is a dream procedure, an extraordinary opportunity to be creative, with the patient as the lucky recipient of the plastic surgeon’s artistic talents.
What makes fat transfer so exciting is that it can enhance the beauty of the patient’s contours in ways beyond what a normal procedure, such as a face lift, can accomplish. Excess skin can be removed in a facelift and the remaining skin tightened across the bone structure of the face, making for a younger look.
But what makes the patient’s face look more natural, with beautiful soft contours, like a model’s in a magazine is: strategically placed fullness.
Added fat in the face and elsewhere on the body helps to restore this youthful look. In a young model’s case, the temple, the cheeks, the jaw line are well-defined and look natural. For older people, it must be put in place by a talented plastic surgeon.
Artistry and Finesse
This is where the finesse of a plastic surgeon shows itself. This is where Dr. Joshua Halpern, who invented The Finesse Technique® shines. There is artistry in performing fat transfers.
To get the best results, the surgeon must approach it as more than a trained technician, as more than a science project with measurements and straightforward logic.
If you remove fat, you must then inject it with the appropriate understanding and insight. Yet there is no formula because each patient, each body is different and the surgeon must have in-depth knowledge of human anatomy. He must be capable of envisioning detailed procedures which are entirely individualized to each patient’s body. He must be a plastic surgeon with artistic insight to imagine how he will remove the fat from a part of the body, while leaving its appearance intact and natural.
Sculpting in Reverse
The plastic surgeon must then have an artist’s eye to envision the completed procedure, as well as how much fat to transfer, how he will place the fat, and where precisely he will place it. Each area, such as the cheekbone or the jaw is a complex multifaceted form, making it imperative that the surgeon have impeccable technique as well as the ability to apply artistic standards to multiple three dimensional surfaces. Subtlety and nuance are of prime importance. Dr. Joshua Halpern considers placing fat to be like sculpting in reverse.
Instead of taking away to contour a sculpture, fat transfer performed with vision and artistry adds to the human form to create natural and beautiful contours.
Fat transfers to the face are a prime example of this.
Potential Stem Cell Effect
After Dr. Halpern performs facial rejuvenation, some of his patients tell him that now they look younger but their hands belie their age. In such a patient’s hands, age shows that the skin has thinned out, the veins, tendons and knuckles are more apparent and when compared to a young person’s smooth hands, they look older. Fat helps restore a more youthful look to the hands.
Indeed another potential benefit to fat transfer: there is a theory that the fat which is transferred may have a stem cell effect on the skin, rejuvenating it and improving its quality.
Current choices to make the hands look more youthful include either Sculptra®, which is temporary, fillers which are injectables and also temporary, or fat transfer.
A popular procedure Dr. Halpern performs is the Brazilian Butt Lift, also known as BBL. This is a complex procedure involving fat transfer into the behind. Proportion and balance are key elements in the success of this procedure. Dr. Halpern enlists equal amounts of subtlety and confidence to even out both sides, utilizing targeted pre-planning.
Anyone can combine ingredients to prepare a dish. But the master baker or chef combines it with a touch of daring, a bit of tradition and a pinch of magic to produce a masterpiece…
Call Dr. Joshua Halpern for a complimentary consultation at (813) 872-2696 if fat transfer intrigues you and you wish to roll back the diminishing returns of time.
