About FAMI™ (Fat Autograft Muscle Injection) Stem Cells Injectable Filler
FAMI™ technique -- "Safer rejuvenation with systematized pan-facial anatomic injection"
The use of autologous fat has been advocated for tissue augmentation for over a century. Autologous fat injection has become increasingly popular in the nineties, as an option for those patients who desire rejuvenation with facial volume enhancement. However, this technique remained controversial and many researchers have made suggestions to increase its potential.
In 1996, after 14 year experience in fat grafting, DR. Roger Amar arrived at the conclusion, in accordance with the scientific literature, that the survival of fatty transplants depended mainly on the vascularity of the host tissue and less on harvesting and reinjection methods.
The 30 Muscles of Facial Expression and the periosteum were found to be the best recipient site to optimize the results with a garanty of good revascularization for the tissue transplant. From the beginning the Amar's technique focused more on the necessity of a tissue transfer into/or behind the three planes of facial musculature and under the periosteum of the skull.
A multispeed centrifuge helped to purify the graft and to concentrate the lipoaspirate with Adult Stem Cells or pre-adipocytes(mesenchymal multipotent cells).
418 patients were treated with this procedure, including plastic reconstructive and aesthetic indications. Follow up periods ranged from January 1997 to September 2006.
Other than slight bruising, occasional divots at the donor site, and two cases of over-correction, the autologous tissue transfer was an uncomplicated event.
Though patients were fully aware of a theoretical risk of redoing the procedure, they never experienced any touch up; many time an additional FAMI procedure (full face for symmetry) was proposed and done during up to the nine year follow up.
The FAMI more impressive cosmetic improvements are obtained in the treatement of aged faces. The rejuvenation obtained with"normal look" contrasts with the "mask look" after invasives procedures (face-lifting, Frontal lift, blepharoplasty...) or extensive use of chemodenervation(Botox) and artificial fillers. By restoring the contour, shape and function of the 30 muscles of facial expression, the FAMI procedure appears to be a gratifyingly effective tool in the hands of a trained surgeon.