FACIAL FILLERS – JUVEDERM, PERLANE, RADIESSE, RESTYLANCE AND SCULPTRA
NEW AND BETTER WAYS TO USE FACIAL FILLERS FOR FACIAL FOLDS AND ANTI-AGING
New York City, NY – As I perform more and more facial filler treatments, I am using less and less in the nasolabial folds and more in the mid-cheeks for a more youthful appearance.
Most patients seen in consultation for treatment with fillers point to their nasolabial lines and folds. The nasolabial folds are the lines and folds that go from next to the nostrils to the corners of the mouth. They are caused by the facial muscles inserting into the skin at that fold. Smiling, laughing, living creates the folds and etched lines in the overlying skin. Add this to sagging of the cheeks over this fixed line of attachment. The cheeks drape over the fold creating a mound that exaggerates the fold.
When patients with nasolabial folds are examined, most have both the fold and the mound. As explained above, the mound is partially draping of the skin and underlying fat/muscle over the fold. A third contribution is age related loss of volume in the mid-cheek. If we just fill the nasolabial fold below, patients might appear almost like a rhesus monkey. What most patients really need is refilling of the mid-cheek area, and then only a little filler is necessary for the nasolabial fold. By re-inflating the cheeks, the nasolabial mound and fold are lifted up and out creating a natural, more youthful facial appearance.
If you want to simulate what this looks like, just smile. Mid-face fullness might be one of the reasons why people look better when they smile.
Which fillers do I use? For first timers and those who need a little filler, I prefer 1 to 2 cc of Juvederm Ultra Plus. A little more, Radiesse and for the most volume and longest lasting result, Sculptra.
Steven J. Pearlman, M.D., F.A.C.S; Facial Plastic Surgeon