In The Right Hands, Injectables Can Go Far

Age and gravity aren’t just robbing your cheeks of the youthful volume we’re all seeking. The lips, too, suffer volume loss, and would-be plastic surgery patients yearn for a solution both effective and simple. The good news is here; surgery isn’t the only answer to plump up those areas that age has been wearing away year after year.

While the fillers of yesterday left a lot to be desired (think of those duck-lipped celebrities from the early 2000’s), today’s injectable materials create a natural, soft look, all without surgery.

Botox: Still a Big Bang for your Buck, If…

Botox is one of the most successful non-surgical treatments out there. Sometimes things “work” – even if they only work some or most of the time. Botox WORKS.

The “IF,” however, centers on how honest those injecting you are about the quality and quantity of the Botox to be injected. “You know, Botox comes in a vial with powder of the bottom of it,” says board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Mark Pinsky. “And you can put a little water in it or you can put a lot of water in it. And so places that discount Botox – they put a lot of water into it, so they’re not getting as many units, but the patient doesn’t know.”

The Latest Array of Dermal Fillers

While Botox can sucessfully counter-act some issues, problems with volume are solved by dermal fillers. They do as their name describes, fill. Older lines of fillers lasted anywhere from 3-6 months, similar to Botox. The good news for patients is the latest filler choices last much longer, something Dr. Pinsky says many patients are extremely appreciative of.

“Botox lasts three to four months and that’s an issue for patients because it doesn’t last long enough for them,” Dr. Pinsky says. “Dermal fillers, on the other hand, last a very long time. They can last six months, a year and even two years now. So patients rejoice in that because they don’t have to come as often to get more injections.”

Customizing Fillers

“Dermal fillers are different,” begins Pinsky. “You can reformulate dermal fillers to be more viscous, less viscous, more crosslinked, less crosslinked. What that means is you can start with the technology, modify that technology so that there are different applications on different areas of the face.”

The array of modern fillers is quite analogous to the painter’s palette. The procedure is not simply uncap a syringe and inject the same amount in the same place for every patient. Depending on what’s going on specifically with a patient’s unique face, expert surgeons can modulate the fillers and craft the exact “color” to correct the issue.

Because of this rich ability to craft unique solutions to unique problems, Dr. Pinsky gives a word of caution. Especially if you’re considering reformatting dermal fillers for certain areas your plastic surgeon has recommended, steer away from discounted, large-scale spa operators. “You need to go to an expert injector, that’s critical, because the injections happen on your face and they have to be perfect.”

A palette of dermal fillers and neuromodulators can help forstall a facelift

Following the success (and continued success) of Botox, dermal fillers are in effect changing the game for patients considering a face lift, or waiting until their face has fallen before doing anything.

“What we used to do is we would chase lines. We would go and fill in the lines with injections,” Dr. Pinsky remembers. “But now we have volume. And the pathway to youth is fullness. I’ve often said it’s more important to have beautiful skin and fullness than it is to have a facelift. Because fullness is a sign of youth. And now there are dermal fillers that promise fullness.”