Non Surgical Treatments
What you should know about non-surgical facial rejuvenation: BOTOX®, Restylane®, Radiesse™, laser facials, and more
Very recently, many exciting new cosmetic treatments have become available. A great deal of media attention — from television reports to magazines and newspapers — has focused on BOTOX®, Restylane®, Radiesse™, laser facials, and other services.
All cosmetic surgeons agree upon the importance of patients being properly informed about these cutting-edge beauty treatments. Knowledge about the correct uses, potential risks, and recovery time for each new product is essential to making a good choice and achieving the best aesthetic outcome.
BOTOX® is a solution injected under the skin, in order to weaken over-acting facial muscles that cause wrinkles. It can also be used to gently lift the eyebrows. Unfortunately, the improper use of BOTOX® can cause drooping eyelids, double vision, and facial paralysis. Patients may attain a beautiful cosmetic result and minimize the possible risks by insisting that a trained cosmetic surgeon (MD) perform the injections in a strict medical setting.
Injectable Fillers include Restylane, Radiesse, collagen, and Sculptra. The intent of each filler is to inflate areas beneath and within the skin, thereby stretching the skin and reducing lines and folds. Each filler must be injected in a series of sites, depending on the patient's specific needs. While economical, some of the fillers require repeat treatments on a recurring basis.
Laser facial treatments are advertised under many different names. They all have the same objective: to heat up the skin, stimulate collagen production, and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. The popularity of laser treatments has declined significantly, due to the difficulty in achieving a desirable balance between skin improvement, skin redness, and relatively high cost.
Microdermabrasion is based on a machine that emits a stream of fine, sand-like particles. This flow of crystals is then applied against your skin in a controlled fashion, resulting in a gentle abrasion of the skin surface. Your face is noticeably smoother afterward, and there is little or no downtime.
Thermage and Fraxel are treatments using radiofrequency heating of deep skin layers to thicken and contract collagen, while creating an inflammatory response that eventually tightens the skin. There is little downtime, but the cost is significant and results are quite modest.
These are merely five out of many cosmetic facial treatments currently available. Three points must be kept in mind:
- Non-surgical treatments (such as BOTOX® and laser facials) cannot replace cosmetic facial surgery. Such treatments are most valuable for very specific problems, and are also useful in combination with surgery.
- Beware of anyone who tries to oversimplify the treatment or understates the risk.
- For any treatment involving the eyelids and upper face, make sure the cosmetic technique is performed by a fellowship-trained cosmetic eyelid specialist.
Dr. George Garcia is an Oculoplastic Surgeon and serves as Assistant Clinical Professor at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at the UCLA School of Medicine. He is the only cosmetic surgeon in Orange County to have completed a 2-year Fellowship dedicated to Eyelid Plastic Surgery.
