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What Causes Wrinkles? Can Dermal Filler Really Help?

Wednesday, July 13th, 2016

Most of us grow up understanding that wrinkles are just part of life – at least until it happens to us. Youth has this way of making us feel energetic and invincible, like we can conquer the world. That’s pretty hard to give up. It seems only natural that looking our best makes us feel our best, and feeling our best encourages us to keep conquering whatever comes our way.

Assuming you are one of the millions, NOT welcoming wrinkles with open arms, then you’re probably looking for a few good options for your aging arsenal.

There are many viable surgical and non-surgical wrinkle smoothing solutions that can have you back to daily life asap.  These include anything from Botox to laser resurfacing or a facelift. Sometimes dermal fillers such as Restylane Lift, Restylane Silk, Juvaderm or Radiesse can be a good solution to combat those are earlier stages of aging.

 

So what causes those pesky wrinkles anyway?

  1. As we get older, we experience a breakdown in collagen and elastin in our skin. We begin to notice appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and textural changes. Of course, this can happen even sooner if you’ve live the life of a sun bunny. UV exposure is the number one culprit for pre-mature aging.4982
  1. As we age, we can loose some subcutaneous fat under the skin. Subcutaneous fat provides the volume needed to maintain a youthful appearance. (Think of dropping a wrinkled raisin into a glass of water, the water plumps the raisin, restoring its volume). This loss of volume creates loose skin, which results in sagging, wrinkles and eventually the desire to seek help from Dr. G.D. Castillo. You may begin to notice nasolabial folds or parentheses from the nose to the mouth, lip lines, marionette lines, sunken in lower lids and disappearing cheek prominence.
  1. As if reasons #1 & #2 weren’t enough of a blow to an aging ego, they are typically followed by the loss of boney structures and underlying tissue support. The loss of boney structure and tissue support creates more sagging and more wrinkling. As this occurs, skin moves downward with the help of gravity like that of a deflated balloon or wilting flower.

 

How can a dermal filler help improve unwanted facial aging?

Today, dermal fillers are not just used to give you a perfectly pouty lip, fillers can actually provide nice improvements to a mild to moderately aging face. They work by filling in lines and wrinkles and by providing much needed volume. Dermal fillers fill in lines around the mouth, or other areas of the face to create a smoother appearance. They plump up sunken in areas such as the lower eyelids, nasolabial folds and can restore or create a beautifully prominent cheek.

When patients first begin to notice

Create balance with dermal fillers. Lasts upto 18 months.

the signs of aging, they are often looking for a subtle change before they work their way up to a more dramatic change like facial surgery as the signs of aging progress. Some patients find dermal fillers to be an attractive choice because they can do it on a Friday and return to work on a Monday with no one being the wiser.

It is important to recognize that most people who are concerned about unwanted signs of aging will only benefit from fillers for a period of time. Fillers cannot take the place of having facial plastic surgery nor can they give you surgical results. They can only put a band aide on aging for a period of time. That being said, band aides are sometimes desirable. They can be a quick fix to mild lines and wrinkles, until the time is right for procedures like a facelift, a neck lift, or CO2 Laser Resurfacing.

 

2012 Castillo Knoblauch Studios 245b

Roxanne Grace
Skincare and Laser Specialist
G. D. Castillo, M.D.
COSMETIC PLASTIC SURGERY

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM

800-252-7123 (within IL)
217-359-7508 Savoy (Champaign-Urbana)

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Posted in BOTOX® Cosmetic & Dermal Fillers, Facial Surgery, Skincare & Aging | No Comments »

Options For The Aging Face

Thursday, March 6th, 2014

During the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Meeting in San Diego, it was stated that the AAFPRS had recently released a new study that found 39% of women were most worried about sagging cheeks or under eye bags, while 33% of women were most worried about lines and wrinkles.  28% of women were most worried about the “turkey neck” effect.

Being a women (and working with an incredible mentor and internationally-renown facial plastic surgeon for years; G.D. Castillo, M.D.) these stats come as no surprise to me.  Of course we women worry sagging cheeks, under eye bags, wrinkles, and the dreaded t-t-t-turkey neck.  It’s normal to want to be the best version of ourselves!  Stop for a minute and think about the women in your life who make a real effort to look their best, exercise, eat healthy.  Those people get things done!  They enjoy life! They are advancing in their careers, moving forward in their personal lives, involved in the community. They are movers and shakers. Looking good and feeling good about how you look is a true life motivator.

I cannot think of single women I know who is excited about the arrival of the next sign of aging. We are always scanning the mirror at home or in the car to make sure we look good – checking for lettuce in our teeth, smeared lip stick, dark circles that might need camouflaging… you know the drill.  For those  who say that’s simply being vain, well, maybe, but in my opinion a little vanity is a great thing. I think it means you care about how you represent yourself.  To me that is self respect.  Something we should all have because we all deserve it.  After all, if we don’t respect ourselves, who will?

I remember when my youngest daughter was about four years old.  She always had a way put a positive spin on things, always encouraging and complimenting others. We were on the floor playing a matching game when she looked at me and said “Wow mommie, the hair right here on the top of your head is shiny white.  Mommie, you are doing a great job at that!”  Cute as that was, you better believe my head was covered in chocolate expresso hair color with in the hour!

We all know aging is inevitable but that doesn’t mean we have to accept it gracefully with no attempt to slow the process.  This blog is called “Anti-Aging” with Grace after all.

Well not to worry (besides worrying just causes frown lines and then everyone thinks your angry all the time).  With the advances in technologies and the growing experience in plastic surgery and skin rejuvenation at your disposal, you have both surgical and non-surgical options available to wash your worries and your wrinkles away!  

SAGGING CHEEKS:

  • Non-surgical options –

1. Dermal fillers can be used to restore volume loss in sagging cheeks.

  • Surgical options –
  • 1.  A facelift – Fortunately, today facelifts are really customized for the individual’s needs.  There are Mini-facelifts, which is a limited facelift generally indicated in someone with early signs of aging (late 30’s to late 50’s) and are most effective in people with facial aging rather than neck aging.  Mid-facelifts, which elevate of the mid portion of the face. This type of facelift is needed in patients that have either facial sagging or lacking facial volume in the second 1/3rd of the face. Traditional facelifts are the treatment of choice for those who have of both the sagging of the cheek and the neck area.***Keep in mind that when sagging tissue is present, non-surgical results will not compare to the results of surgical removal of tissue, which is the hallmark of any kind of surgical facelift.

UNDER EYE BAGS:

  • Non-surgical options –
  1.  Try cutting out salt and preservatives from your diet for one month.  Observe over the month whether or not the bags disappear or reduce to a tolerable state. Salt / preservatives are found in prepared foods such as those you purchase from a deli or restaurant and in canned or boxed foods and can be responsible for puffy under-eye bags. If you see considerable improvement, you may be able to avoid partaking in the options below just by avoiding salt and preservatives.
  2.  Dermal fillers – Hyaluronic acids (Restylane, Perlane, and Juvaderm) can be used fill in depressed curves that form between the cheek and the bag to provide a more natural, youthful contour.
  3.  CO2 Micro-fractional laser resurfacing can help to tighten the lower eyelid skin but it will not improve excess fat deposits.
  • Surgical options –

       1.   Lower Eye Lid Surgery (Blepharoplasty) – This may include the removal of fat from the lower lid area or the transplant of fat to the area depending on the needs of the patient.

FINE LINES AND WRINKLES:

  • Non-surgical options –
  1. CO2 Micro-fractional laser resurfacing is a minimally invasive treatment that typically produces the best non-surgical results for fine lines and wrinkles.  It will also remove brown spots and other pigment and texture changes that often present along with lines and wrinkles.
  2. Botox® can be used to smooth out lines and wrinkles of the forehead, between the brows, and around the eyes.
  3. Dermal fillers such as Juvederm®, Perlane®, Restylane®, orRadiesse® can be used to replace volume and fill in lines and wrinkles.
  • Surgical options –
  1. CO2 full face laser resurfacing, (not to be confused with CO2 Micro-Fractional Laser resurfacing) can smooth out lines, wrinkles, tighten the skin, increase collagen, improve poor texture and pigment issues, and unwanted spider veins. If you are experiencing structural sagging a facelift or cheek lift may be done simultaneously.
  2. Facelift– As individuals age, they tend develop lines an wrinkles caused by loose skin and lax underlying muscle structure. A Rhytidectomy or facelift is designed to remove loose skin and tighten lax underlying structures which result in a lasting, more youthful appearance.
  3. Fat Transplantation can sometimes be used to replace volume loss of the face, relieving the lines that have developed due to loss of facial fat that can happen during the aging process.

TURKEY NECK:

  • Non-surgical options –
  1. Beyond managing your weight and avoiding the yo-yo weight effect along with protecting your skin from UV radiation to preserve collagen and elastin, your best bet is a trip to the O.R.  Once you develop a turkey waddle, there is not much in line of non-surgical options that provide true improvement.
  • Surgical options –
  1. Neck lift – This procedure is often combined with a cheek lift. The typical neck lift or neck/cheek lift consists of a modified type of facelift in which the main emphasis is to tighten the muscle structure and remove as much excess neck skin and fatty tissue as possible, resulting in a smooth, youthful contour of the neck, jawline, and lower face.
  2.  Chin implant surgery – also known as a mentoplasty is needed when a patient has a short mandible or recessed chin. The lack of adequate bone structure tends to accentuate jowls and loose, sagging skin around the neck.
  3. Neck liposculpture – This may be all that is needed to correct a double chin or turkey neck.  During this procedure, fatty tissue is removed via liposuction and the musculature of the neck is tightened to create a defined jawline. In some instances, neck liposculpture may be combined with a chin implant to correct a recessed chin. Patients can return to work within 3 to 4 days.

Yours Truly,

Roxanne Grace Hammond

Skincare and Laser Specialist

Cosmetic Plastic Surgery

 

 

 

 

 

Roxanne Hammond, RMA
Skincare and Laser Specialist
G. D. Castillo, M.D.
COSMETIC PLASTIC SURGERY  

https://www.cosmeticplasticsurgery.com

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK:

http://www.facebook.com/DrCastilloCosmeticPlasticSurgery
800-252-7123 (within IL)
217-359-7508 Savoy (Champaign-Urbana)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Liquid Facelift – Truths In Reporting and Advertising?

Thursday, August 27th, 2009
On August 12, 2009, CBS had a program in which they demonstrated the so-called “liquid facelift.”  As it is shown, there were injections placed in appropriate areas of the face to diminish facial lines and furrows by injecting a product called Sculptra TM.  It incorrectly refers to Sculptra TM as being a  filler that was just recently approved, since it has been approved by the FDA for years for the treatment of immune-suppressed patients, and particularly directed at AIDS patients.
I take issue with describing this injectable as a “liquid facelift.”  In fact, it is not.  It is simply an injection to replace some of the volume loss in certain areas of the face.  It definitely does not give or even approximate the results of a mini facelift or regular facelift.  To compare the results of an injectable to a facelift is grossly unfair to the public and plays on the sensitivities of those who are looking for an alternative to surgery.  If what an individual needs is a facelift, then they are wasting their money on temporary filler.
Please do not misunderstand me.  There is nothing wrong with injectables.  I use them in my practice frequently with great success.  The whole idea is that it is very important to match the problem with the correct solution.  By that I mean that if there are already set-in facial problems like jowls, sagginess and volume loss, the most effective way of dealing with it is through a surgical procedure. Anything else would be at best a compromise.  For most patients, it would be a waste and a disappointment.
If, on the other hand, the patient is looking to treat early aging changes such as volume loss without sagginess or jowls, commonly seen after age 30, then an injectable such as Sculptra TM would be a good alternative. It will help minimize some of the volume loss effects of aging for approximately a year or two.  However, the physician injecting this filler needs to have a very good artistic eye in order to be able to inject the filler where it will have the most effect.  The goal is to minimize the normal shadows of light and to minimize the highs and lows that tend to develop as a result of facial aging.
The cost is another factor one needs to consider since it is likely that one may need $1,000.00 and $2,000.00 worth of Sculptra TM to accomplish the desired effect.  This needs to be taken into consideration because when one uses facial filler the effects are only temporary.  Within a period of 6 to 24 months, the effect is completely lost. When comparing this with the results of a surgical procedure like a facelift, one must realize that though the effects of a facelift may be modified by time (the aging process), the improvements will be with the person for life.
The report stated that you could go out the night of the injection and that is in essence, untrue.  Even in the hands of the most skilled professional, a moderate amount of swelling occurs with the injection of any filler within the face.  Bruising can also occur.  One should probably allow 3-4 days after an injectable before planning to attend a social engagement.
As with any other filler, Sculptra TM is a volume replacement agent which will be useful on a temporary basis. We should never call an injectable a “liquid facelift.”  We should call it exactly what is it, which is the correction of volume loss by use of a facial filler (injectable). This is much more accurate and honest reporting.
This blog entry was written by G.D. Castillo, M.D., FACS; Triple board-certified, Director of Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Skin Restoration and Laser Institute.

On August 12, 2009, CBS had a program in which they demonstrated the so-called “liquid facelift.”  As it is shown, there were injections placed in appropriate areas of the face to diminish facial lines and furrows by injecting a product called Sculptra TM.  It incorrectly refers to Sculptra TM as being a  filler that was just recently approved, since it has been approved by the FDA for years for the treatment of immune-suppressed patients, and particularly directed at AIDS patients.

I take issue with describing this injectable as a “liquid facelift.”  In fact, it is not.  It is simply an injection to replace some of the volume loss in certain areas of the face.  It definitely does not give or even approximate the results of a mini facelift or regular facelift.  To compare the results of an injectable to a facelift is grossly unfair to the public and plays on the sensitivities of those who are looking for an alternative to surgery.  If what an individual needs is a facelift, then they are wasting their money on temporary filler.

Please do not misunderstand me.  There is nothing wrong with injectables.  I use them in my practice frequently with great success.  The whole idea is that it is very important to match the problem with the correct solution.  By that I mean that if there are already set-in facial problems like jowls, sagginess and volume loss, the most effective way of dealing with it is through a surgical procedure. Anything else would be at best a compromise.  For most patients, it would be a waste and a disappointment.

If, on the other hand, the patient is looking to treat early aging changes such as volume loss without sagginess or jowls, commonly seen after age 30, then an injectable such as Sculptra TM would be a good alternative. It will help minimize some of the volume loss effects of aging for approximately a year or two.  However, the physician injecting this filler needs to have a very good artistic eye in order to be able to inject the filler.

ler where it will have the most effect.  The goal is to minimize the normal shadows of light and to minimize the highs and lows that tend to develop as a result of facial aging.

The cost is another factor one needs to consider since it is likely that one may need $1,000.00 and $2,000.00 worth of Sculptra TM to accomplish the desired effect.  This needs to be taken into consideration because when one uses facial filler the effects are only temporary.  Within a period of 6 to 24 months, the effect is completely lost. When comparing this with the results of a surgical procedure like a facelift, one must realize that though the effects of a facelift may be modified by time (the aging process), the improvements will be with the person for life.

The report stated that you could go out the night of the injection and that is in essence, untrue.  Even in the hands of the most skilled professional, a moderate amount of swelling occurs with the injection of any filler within the face.  Bruising can also occur.  One should probably allow 3-4 days after an injectable before planning to attend a social engagement.

As with any other filler, Sculptra TM is a volume replacement agent which will be useful on a temporary basis. We should never call an injectable a “liquid facelift.”  We should call it exactly what is it, which is the correction of volume loss by use of a facial filler (injectable). This is much more accurate and honest reporting.

G.D. Castillo, M.D. Premier Cosmetic Surgeon in Central Illinois


G. D. Castillo, M.D.
COSMETIC PLASTIC SURGERY
Become a Facebook Fan of CPS @  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cosmetic-Plastic-Surgery/65943304419
https://www.cosmeticplasticsurgery.com
800-252-7123 (within IL)
217-359-7508 Savoy (Champaign-Urbana)

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in BOTOX® Cosmetic & Dermal Fillers, Facial Surgery | No Comments »