The Science of Beauty

El Paso Plastic Surgery – Blog

Injectables such as Restylane, Botox and the new Radiesse help individuals looking to enhance their cosmetic appearance in a number of ways. These injectables can give someone fuller lips, get rid of unwanted wrinkles, and even smile lines. Rather than getting a facelift, which is a permanent change, many people rely on injectable fillers to freshen up their faces or other areas of the body because the results are temporary and non-invasive. Injectable fillers offer improvement without having to go under the knife and the option to change your look every few months. The kind of look you desire will dictate what kind of filler your doctor will use, and with so many different types of fillers available today, the sky is truly the limit.

-          What is Botox and how can it be utilized?

-          All Botox does is paralyze muscle. It only works at the neuromuscular junction; where the nerve attaches to muscle. If we inject it into the muscle, it paralyzes that muscle. If it is injected into the bloodstream, nothing will happen because it is non-toxic in the blood stream. We can selectively paralyze some of the muscles that do not have an important function other than creating wrinkles.Frown line, crows feet, forehead lines, smoker’s lines are such wrinkles.

-          How often are Botox injections required?

o        Every four to six months. My advice is not to wait until you get deep wrinkles because Botox can be used as a preventative. If you don’t have the wrinkle and you start using Botox, you will never get the wrinkle.

-          What are the different types of fillers and how can they be utilized?

o        We start with Collagen that lasts only four months or so. Then there is Hyaluronic acid, which has multiple names, such as Restylane, Juvéderm and Perlane. These last about five to six months. Perlane may last a little bit longer. Then we have Radiesse which will last 14 months or so. There is also Sculptura and Articole, which last longer, but I do not like injectables lasting longer than fourteen months because in my practice I think injectables should be temporary. You may like the effects for one year, but in the future, you may not. Your tastes may change or your face may shift. These things should be temporary. If you like the effects, you can get it done every so often, but if you do not like it anymore, you do not need to have it on your face. These are the injectables and they can complement the other non-surgical ways of rejuvenating the face. (Discussed in last month’s issue).

-          You offer what is called a tissue cocktail, what is it?

o        It is natural filler, or your own fat. The way we do that is something similar to liposuction. We aspirate the fat and then we centrifuge it. We separate the liquid from the fat cell and then we inject the fat. Usually, 50% of the fat cell injected will live like part of the rest of your fat, but you can only have your fat injected into you. It gets vascularized and lives wherever it is injected. We can inject it as permanent filler, but it is also natural so it is a part of you. It is not like those artificial ones. Every face lift I do, I inject fat into. If I am doing a procedure like a tummy tuck, at the same time I take a piece of the dermis (tissue, deep part of the skin), we cut it with scissors and we make it injectable. Due to the fact that it has fat and other tissues in it, we call it a tissue cocktail. With this one, I get 65% stay as opposed to 50%.

-          How do you utilize body fat injections in your practice?

o        With body fat injections, you can treat deep wrinkles and achieve fullness in the lips. For example, at the end of a face lift, I get some fat and I inject it in the lips, the chin, the upper eyelid, or areas that project more. This gives people a more youthful look because as we age, our skin can become hollowed out in areas, such as in the upper eyelid area. You can take the excess skin, but if you do not give that fullness, it does not look as natural.

-          How many treatments of injectables does a patient need to undergo to achieve desired results?

o        It depends, for example, if you inject Restylane, the results will last for six months and every six months, you have to get injected again. For Radiesse, the results last up to 14 months. It depends on the injectable. If a patient wants several different areas of their face filled, such as wrinkles and fuller lips, you need at least three syringes. I may do a little local blocks so it is less uncomfortable and it takes me about 15-20 minutes. The results are immediate.