Renuva® in Chicago: Injectable Fat Restoration Without Surgery
Volume loss that no traditional filler can truly replicate, restored with the body's own biological material
Most of what makes a face look young isn’t the skin itself. It’s the underlying fat. As we age, facial fat gradually diminishes, leaving hollowness in the cheeks, temples, and under the eyes, while hands reveal thinning skin and prominent tendons. Traditional fillers can approximate volume, but they’re synthetic gels working against a biological problem. Renuva® takes a different approach entirely.
At Cheung Aesthetics & Wellness in Willowbrook, Dr. Cheung offers Renuva as part of her approach to natural, anatomy-driven rejuvenation. As a board-certified dermatologist with deep expertise in facial anatomy and injectables, she’s uniquely positioned to deliver results that look and feel like you, not like a procedure.
What Is Renuva®?
Renuva® is an allograft adipose matrix developed by MTF Biologics, the first off-the-shelf injectable that restores volume using donated human fat tissue rather than synthetic materials. It isn’t a filler in the traditional sense, and it isn’t a biostimulator that builds collagen. It’s a processed fat scaffold that your body recognizes, populates with its own fat cells, and ultimately integrates as living tissue.
When injected, Renuva creates a three-dimensional honeycomb-like matrix in the treatment area. Over the course of three to six months, the body sends in its own fat cells, blood vessels, and supporting tissue to fill that framework. As this happens, the matrix gradually dissolves, leaving behind your own naturally regenerated fat. The result is volume that feels completely natural because, biologically, it is.
This process sets Renuva apart from both hyaluronic acid fillers, which sit in the tissue as a foreign gel, and collagen biostimulators like Sculptra, which trigger a different regenerative pathway. Renuva is specifically and uniquely designed to restore fat: the exact tissue that was lost.
How Renuva Differs from Other Volume Treatments
Renuva vs. Hyaluronic Acid Fillers
Hyaluronic acid fillers like Juvederm and Restylane provide immediate volume by placing a gel into the tissue. They’re excellent for many applications, but they dissolve over time and need to be repeated. They also behave differently from native fat. A gel filler in the cheek doesn’t move, compress, or respond to expression the way fat does. Renuva replaces the actual biological material that was lost, creating volume that behaves naturally. Once the body has repopulated the matrix with its own fat, results can last far longer than any synthetic filler.
Renuva vs. Sculptra or Radiesse
Sculptra and Radiesse are biostimulators that trigger collagen production, which adds gradual firmness and volume over several months. They’re powerful tools for skin quality and structural support. Renuva works through a distinct mechanism, stimulating fat regeneration rather than collagen production. For areas where fat loss is the primary concern, Renuva addresses the root cause more directly.
Renuva vs. Surgical Fat Transfer
A traditional fat transfer involves harvesting fat from one area of your body via liposuction, processing it, and re-injecting it elsewhere. It requires anesthesia, a donor site, and downtime. Renuva achieves similar biological outcomes using pre-prepared donor fat tissue, with no liposuction, no surgery, and minimal recovery. It’s particularly well-suited for patients who want natural fat restoration but aren’t candidates for surgery or simply don’t want it.
Renuva vs. alloClae
Both Renuva and alloClae are allograft adipose matrix products in the same family of technology, but they’re designed for different scales of treatment. Renuva is formulated for precision: facial volume restoration, hand rejuvenation, scars, cellulite dimples, and other small-to-moderate areas. alloClae is specifically engineered for larger body applications like buttock enhancement and hip augmentation. Dr. Cheung offers both; the right choice depends entirely on your goals and the area being treated.
What Can Renuva Treat?
Renuva can be used anywhere fat naturally exists in the body. Dr. Cheung uses it most commonly for:
Facial volume restoration Cheeks, temples, the midface, and the jawline lose fat as we age. Renuva restores this lost fullness naturally, softening the hallowed or skeletal appearance that often develops despite good skincare. It is not typically used for the lips or under-eye area.
Hand rejuvenation The backs of the hands are one of the earliest and most visible signs of aging. As fat thins, tendons and veins become prominent. Renuva restores the soft, full appearance of younger hands in a way that synthetic fillers cannot replicate long-term.
Acne scars and depressed scars For indented or atrophic scars that have a sunken appearance, Renuva adds volume beneath the scar to lift and smooth it from below. This can be particularly effective for boxcar and rolling acne scars that haven’t responded fully to surface treatments alone.
Cellulite dimples and contour irregularities Renuva can fill the dimples created by cellulite and smooth irregular contours from previous procedures, liposuction, or weight changes, in areas where a targeted, precise approach works better than large-volume treatment.
Subtle body contouring In select cases, Renuva can address minor hip irregularities or other small-volume body concerns. For larger-volume body contouring goals, Dr. Cheung will discuss whether alloClae is a more appropriate option.
The Dermatologist Difference
Renuva requires precise placement and an understanding of where fat naturally lives in the face and body. Injecting too superficially, in the wrong plane, or in areas where fat doesn’t naturally belong can lead to irregular results. This is a treatment that rewards anatomical expertise and careful technique.
As a board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Cheung brings a foundation of medical training in skin and soft tissue that goes well beyond standard aesthetic certification. Her conservative approach means she treats to restore what was naturally there, not to add volume for its own sake. Patients who come to her for Renuva leave looking refreshed and natural, not worked on.
Cheung Aesthetics & Wellness
Serving Chicago, Willowbrook, Oak Park, Naperville, Hinsdale and the western suburbs.