How can we look more youthful and fresh?
Most of my patients don’t pull up on their faces wanting that simulated facelift with a windblown, tight result. Sure, lifting is a part of rejuvenation. Tissues sag with age, and this leads to lower brows, descent of the “apple” of the cheek into the jowl elongating the distance between the lower lid and cheek fullness, and a lax neck. Morphing photos as individuals age reveals that a signature mole on the cheek does not necessarily descend although the face clearly ages. What we are learning more about for facial rejuvenation is VOLUME. A full face is a youthful face, and deflation of the tissues either from aging, significant weight loss, or genetic tendencies leads to an older, more worn looking face. So volume is now a key part of the rejuvenation treatment process to consider.
Volume can be restored in a number of ways. Lifting is one. When a facelift is performed, typically the deep tissues are elevated and supported back up to where they should be, restoring cheek fullness and shortening the distance between the lower lid and cheek “apple.” Another way to restore volume is with injectable fillers, like Perlane, Restylane, and Juvederm. These products fill wrinkles, folds, and thinned lips. They come off the shelf and can be administered in a clinic visit. Sculptra is a volumizer of the cheek area. By improving midfacial volume, secondary lift from the jawline occurs, smoothing it as well – a “win-win!” Sculptra can also be used above the brow to lift it. Sculptra is administered in an office visit. Optimal results with all fillers – Perlane, Restylane, Juvederm and Sculptra – requires at least 2 stages, but even 1 visit will produce remarkable results. Beyond facelift and injectables, fat grafting is another way to go, using your own stores of fat in the abdomen, back or thigh to fill the face – turning “bad” fat into “good” fat! Another “win-win!” While off the shelf injectables loose their effect over time, fat grafting becomes incorporated into the bodies for the long haul, and is a great long term solution for the mouth and nasolabial folds.
So it is a new day in facial rejuvenation! We not only aim to raise tissues that have “fallen,” but also add necessary volume to turn back the hands of time and achieve a rejuvenated, refreshed face.
