Seattle Plastic Surgeon cajoles patient not to go with the Trout Pout look.
Mona Lisa’s lips were NOT done by me!
I recently saw a patient of mine who I have been injecting with hyaluronic acid fillers for a couple of years. She comes in about every 6 to 12 months for topping off. This time she wanted “just a little more” to her already quite voluptuous lips and I just had to say “no”. Another syringe of filler or even half a syringe of filler would have pushed her over the edge into a trout pout.
It very common for patients to think if something is good, more of that something is better but sometimes it just isn’t. I see this mostly with breast augmentation patients and lip enhancement patients. They loose their perspective. One tool I use for these patients is their pre-operative or pre-injection photos. Once they see these photos and realize where they were and where they are now, they are more likely to appreciate their nice, tasteful, “it could have occurred in nature on a very good day” result and less likely to try to twist my arm to do something that I do not think is in their best interest.
So if you see a woman with gigantic breast implants and lips to match, I can guarantee you that I am not her plastic surgeon!
Seattle Plastic Surgeon shares some very interesting research on fillers and skin aging. Check it out.
Could fillers be the Fountain of Youth?
I read with interest today an article from Dermatology Times e news. To my knowledge, this is the first study looking at the anti-aging effects of off the shelf fillers. Here it is:
Ann Arbor, Mich. — It may be possible to slow down the skin’s aging process by boosting support of the dermal extracellular matrix, a new study finds.
As the skin ages, the extracellular matrix, which acts as a scaffold for skin cells, becomes fragmented, according to researchers with University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor. Fibroblasts shrink and less collagen is produced causing the support structure to decline, Newswise.com reports.
The researchers found that injecting the space between the skin cells with a filler enhances the structural support of the extracellular matrix.
Investigators injected a dermal filler into the facial skin of 21 volunteers over age 70 during a three month period. Data indicated that the filler stimulated fibroblasts to begin producing more collagen and boosted the support structure of the extracellular matrix. This increased support, the researchers noted, appeared to further stimulate the proliferation of fibroblasts and increase epidermal thickness, according to the abstract. The entire layer of skin grew thicker with more blood vessels, which nourished the cells, according to Newswise.com.
“By altering the matrix using an external filler and increasing the internal pressure, we’ve shown that we can essentially trigger a signal for cells to wake up,” a researcher said. “This shows that skin cells in elderly people have the capacity to respond robustly in a very positive way to alterations in the mechanical property of their environment. We still need to know more about how cells sense their environment, but in general it appears we have made a real difference in the structural integrity of skin.”
Seattle Plastic Surgeon shows off a GREAT NON-SURGICAL RESULT – take a look at this.
Top photo before treatment. After photo is after agressive skin care and HA filler over a nine month period.
I saw this patient recently who I have been treating with aggressive skin care and HA fillers (eg Restylane, Juvederm, Perlane, Prevelle) over about 9 months. She has been very, very dedicated to her skin care program and I’ve been very, very dedicated to injecting her with filler where she needs it and, as mentioned in a previous blog, using enough to really filler ‘er up.
And take a look at these photos. Her skin quality is so much better and the shape of her jaw line and chin is so improved and her wrinkles —- what wrinkles?????
Fat transfer followed by a deep chemical peel could have achieved this result but no face lift, I repeat, no face lift could have achieved this sort of improvement.
Yes, she will need continued skin care and will need to come in every year or so for some more filler but remember, this is all with no down time and very, very little pain and suffering.
And just remember all of those things we do that also need maintenance – hair, nails, legs, bikini line (ouch), eyebrows, etc. Oh yeah, and how about getting your teeth cleaned every 6 months. No down time but talk about pain and suffering!
Lower face in the upright position.Lower face in the supine position.
Seattle Plastic Surgeon explains why she always marks her patients in the upright postion.
Plastic surgeons always, always, always do our preoperative markings with patients in the upright position. It doesn’t matter if we’re operating on a face, a chest or an abdomen. Most people understand the effect that position has on breasts and bellys but have never really thought about the effect that position has on the face.
Take a look at these photos posted on the Real Self website by a lady with questions about facial surgery. Look at how much improvement she gets with her jaw line and her nasolabial folds (the creases that run from the nose to the corner of the mouth) when she lies down. Also look how her square face assumes a more oval shape. Wild, huh?
These photos also illustrate why we sit patients up during or near completion of a face lift. A face that looks great supine on the operating room table may need a little tweaking once gravity is added to the equation.
@lisalynnsowder
