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What is a “Liquid Facelift” in Beverly Hills?
By admin | August 28, 2009
What is a “Liquid Facelift” in Beverly Hills?
The advent of the various injectable filling products which began with collagen and evolved to Juvéderm, Restylane, Perlane, Artefill and Sculptra has spawned a change in concept of facial rejuvenation. In addition to these FDA-improved skin fillers, there is Botox and now Dysport which are not fillers, but which have a place in rejuvenation of the face by reduction of wrinkles and even reversing the stippled appearance that some chins have because of continual muscle contraction.
Frankly, “liquid facelift” is somewhat of a misnomer because in fact there is no lifting or elevation of the sagging tissues which occurs with age, but rather a plumping. Now, plumping is not bad. We need plumping because as we age there is shrinkage of the fat underneath the skin which begins around the mouth and then later occurs around the eyes and cheeks. Likewise, plumping is good for those who have a rather thin lip and wish to have the lip look a little fuller, which is generally desirable.
Reduction of wrinkles, improvement of creases, folds and restoration of natural curved facial contours all do help provide improvement to the face. However, one should not believe that these are substitutes for certain surgical procedures. For example, one of the earliest signs of aging for most people is in the jaw and neck. None of these “liquid facelift” substances can help the gravity-driven sag which creates jowls that hang down below the jaw bone and the double chin or vertical bands in the neck. These will require surgery. In fact, most of the photo examples that one sees on the manufacturer’s web sites are of younger people who are not old enough to show the ravages of the gravity induced jowling and neck sagging.
However, the nice thing about these products is they are low risk. Because they are temporary, if one does not like the look or appearance, there is no cause for alarm because they will disappear within some period of time.
We recommend that patients consider fillers and Botox or Dysport often as an adjunct to blepharoplasty, either upper blepharoplasty or lower blepharoplasty. Likewise, as the “frosting on the cake” after a neck sculpture or face and neck lift.
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