by Dr. Joseph Grzeskiewicz
Do you love facial fillers, but hate the pain? We have good news! Gone are the sharp-tipped needles that can hurt and puncture blood vessels. We now use a new blunt-tipped device to inject Juvéderm®, Perlane®, Restylane®, Radiesse®, and Artefill® and help you restore volume in your face.
Until recently, needles with sharp tips were the only way to deliver injectable fillers. The sharp tips can scratch and puncture blood vessels, causing pain as tissues are penetrated. It also limits the injector’s control, which can cause irregular placement of the filler. The blunt-tipped device (called a cannula) avoids most or all of these issues.
by Dr. Joseph Grzeskiewicz
There was a time when BOTOX® Cosmetic was the only botulinum toxin product, but no longer. BOTOX® came on the market in the 1980s. Since then, it has been injected into literally millions of patients. Over time, we have come to use the name “Botox” to refer to any botulinum toxin treatment, much like we speak of “Kleenex” for facial tissues or “Xerox” for copies.
Now two comparable products are available in the United States for the treatment of facial wrinkles: Dysport® and the newest product release Xeomin®. All three products are not dermal fillers, like Juvéderm® or Restylane®. They are neurotoxins.
Actual LJCSC Patient
When it comes to relaxing wrinkles in the face, Botox® Cosmetic has long had the corner on the market. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), Botox is the number one cosmetic procedure for women and men. In April, 2009, the FDA gave the go ahead for Dysport, a product similar to Botox. Although new to the U.S., Dysport has been used overseas for many years.
by H. Michael Roark, MD
Dr. Michael Roark
If there are aspects of your appearance that you are considering altering, you may have considered plastic surgery. The first step in finding a plastic surgeon is deciding what changes you want to make to your appearance. Choosing the right plastic surgeon is dependent on what procedure you are considering. Identifying what results you want is far easier than finding the best surgeon to perform the task.
by Johan E. Brahme, MD
Dr. Johan Brahme
A recent article in the blog “mashedplastic” (link below) explores the unique features of facial aging. We used to think that all components of the face (cheeks, chin, jowls, neck, eyes, and forehead, etc.) aged in a uniform, predictable manner.
However, in reality what we are finding is that is that in some people the neck tends to age more than the eyes, or the cheeks tend to fall more than the forehead. The cause of this is poorly understood but may relate to genetics. It is only reasonable to suspect that if your mother or father had a “turkey neck” you may be at risk for this as well, if you look like them to begin with.
This is a preview of
Facial Aging: “Piece by Piece” or “The Whole Enchilada”
.
Read the full post (346 words, 1 image, estimated 1:23 mins reading time)
Dr. Johan Brahme
A recent snippet from the Fashion section of New York Magazine proclaimed that “BOTOX® may actually give you wrinkles.” As with so many sensationalist headlines in the blogosphere these days, you have to investigate where these peculiar statements come from.
This latest one seems to have come from some offhand musings printed in the British online tabloid “The Daily Mail.” In other words, there is absolutely no scientific evidence that BOTOX® Cosmetic can give you wrinkles. The statement was made by some practitioner that “if you paralyze some muscles with BOTOX®, maybe the adjacent, un-injected muscles may become overactive.” Again, there is no evidence of this in the scientific literature or in anyone’s clinical experience.
If Suzanne’s friends and family were to vote someone “least likely to have cosmetic surgery,” she would have been the winner. Never much into primping or giving attention to her appearance, one day Suzanne hit a turning point.
“I would have to say that there comes a moment when you catch a glance of yourself in the mirror and think, who is that old woman?,” she states as she recalls her father affectionately calling her mother “the lion” because of her wrinkles and loose skin.
This is a preview of
Patient “least likely to have cosmetic surgery” is thrilled with her results
.
Read the full post (266 words, 1 image, estimated 1:04 mins reading time)
There seems to be a point when the face or body in the mirror feels out of sync with inner feelings or desires. Julie remembers experiencing those exact emotions. “I’m realistic. I wasn’t wanting to look 20 years younger, but I knew that my face wasn’t representing the real me.”
Like many patients, several years after her first laser procedure, Julie decided that tightening the skin on her face would enhance her appearance. She didn’t have to go far to find the perfect plastic surgeon for her surgery. Julie consulted with board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Joseph Grzeskiewicz (“Dr. G”).
Dr. Brahme
Artefill® is one of the most exciting products to ever hit the injectable market and it has just landed at La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre.
Artefill is a completely different type of filler from what is currently on the market. It is the first FDA approved injectible dermal filler that gives you the longest lasting wrinkle correction available.
This product is a unique combination of purified bovine collagen gel, tiny synthetic microspheres (polymethymethacrylate, commonly known as PMMA) and lidocaine (anesthetic agent).
