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Many patients considering dermal filler injections have asked us this question. We understand how tempting it can be to think of dermal filler and fat injections as accomplishing the same goals, but they are much different treatments and the comparison may not be “apples to apples”.
Remember that before fat can be injected, it has to be taken or “harvested” from somewhere else on your body. This sounds easy, but it’s actually an invasive procedure. The instruments that are used to retrieve the fat are like large straws, known as cannulas. You have to have anesthesia in the area to prevent pain during the harvesting process and despite that, it can still be quite painful.
While many people have extra fat that they wouldn’t mind losing, only fat from certain areas of the body can be used for facial fat transfer. It’s not quite as easy as taking it from a place you don’t want it and moving it to one that you do! Just like other body tissue that we use as grafts, the fat must be carefully harvested, prepared and then reimplanted with meticulous technique if it’s going to take and stay in its new home. It’s not a given that fat transfer always last the way we expect and look the way we want.
Another common question is, “Why would you inject something temporary when you could just do fat which is permanent?” Not exactly the case either. Most fat injections have a maximum lifespan of 7 to 10 years. They are not a permanent fix to your volume problems. We admit this is a lot longer than the average lifespan of most hyaluronic acid dermal fillers, but fat injections are not permanent. Other patients that have had fat injections have told us that they have lost benefit in 1-2 years, the approximate duration of some fillers.
Depending on what your specific needs are, dermal fillers may be a better choice and help you to look better than fat injections. We aren’t saying that fat injections are never appropriate. In fact, for someone who just needs a lot of volume replacement and can afford the downtime, they are a great alternative to dermal fillers, which would just simply be too expensive. However, cases like this are usually few and far between. A majority of patients like you are better candidates for dermal fillers. They are a great, minimally invasive option for both support and volume. They don’t have the maximum longevity of fat injections, but most research shows that products such as Restylane and Juvederm can last up to 24 months. We think this makes them an excellent value.
Whatever option you’re considering, make sure that you have a full discussion of the potential risks and benefits of the procedure and that your fully understand what results you can expect.
There’s a saying that men become more “distinguished” with age, but the truth is that a man’s face ages in much the same way as a woman’s does. Repeated muscle contractions from smiling, squinting, and raising eyebrows can cause deep lines and furrows. Facial volume decreases leading to dark under-eye circles and heavy laugh lines. While men may not be socially programmed to see these changes as “worrisome” like women are, we know from experience that many aging men out there worry about their appearance.
While women have long gossiped about cosmetic injections of dermal fillers and Botox as a secret “fountain of youth”, these types of treatments are rarely, if ever discussed between men. But they should be! Slowly, more and more men are turning to cosmetic injections to reverse or improve the signs of age as these treatments become more accessible and mainstream. We have even seen some men using injections preventatively to maintain a youthful, rested appearance.
Most commonly, men request Botox injections in the same places as women: between the eyes (the glabella), the forehead, and the crow’s feet area. Men also frequently ask for dermal filler treatment with products such as Restylane, Restylane Lyft, and Juvederm to the laugh lines (nasolabial folds), the under-eye area (tear troughs), and the corners of the mouth (marionette lines). These products, when injected correctly, can provide natural-looking volume improvement. But injectors need to have a special awareness of male facial anatomy. Injection techniques must be modified to prevent “feminizing” a man’s face.
Often, Botox and dermal fillers are used together to soften deeper creases and lines that form between the eyes and on the forehead due to generally larger facial muscles and stronger contractions. These treatments complement and enhance each other when done appropriately.
If you’re a man considering cosmetic injections, we encourage you to call and schedule a free, confidential consultation with us today. We regularly treat male patients with these injections and have helped many men reach their goal of a more youthful and rested appearance. These treatments aren’t just for women! They can be a powerful, effective, non-surgical tool to help a man look and feel his best.
If you’re thinking about having dermal filler injections, then one of your concerns may be looking natural. If you partner with a skilled and knowledgeable injector like those at our office, then you will have the chance to fully discuss the risks and benefits of dermal fillers.
Because hyaluronic acid (HA) occurs naturally in our bodies, we can break them down on our own. These products respond exactly the same as our naturally-occurring HA does and the fillers slowly dissolve over time. This makes them extremely safe, and while you may not want the changes from your filler treatment to go away, they will eventually! Nothing from these filler products will remain in your body after they have completely degraded and dissolved.
Many patients like you wonder what happens if you start and then stop using dermal fillers. Are there any permanent changes to the skin or face after using dermal fillers like Restylane, Juvederm and Restylane Lyft? We tell patients like you that when you stop using dermal fillers, there are no permanent changes because of them, only the natural aging that occurred while you were using them.
To get a better idea of what these injections can do for you, take a look at this patient’s photos. She had lost a disproportionate amount of volume from the right side of her chin. This made the right side of her mouth turn down and “droop” a bit. With her, we used Restylane injections to restore the lost volume in her chin. This provided the proper support the corner of her mouth and gave her chin and lower face a smoother and fuller look altogether.
Before and after pictures of Restylane injections
Read About All Celibre’s Facial Shaping Techniques
Most people with bags and tired-looking eyes think that surgery is the only option to look younger, more awake, rested and refreshed. But advances in both dermal filler products and injection techniques have changed this fact. So if you’re tired of your tired-looking eyes, non-invasive dermal filler injections may be just the thing to help you look better—without going under the knife.
Why Do Our Eyes Look Older?
Time, environmental damage and gravity take their toll on our face. Most of the changes with tired-looking eyes come from movement of the muscle and fat around the eye as the tissue becomes less firm and elastic.
The orbicularis oculi muscle is a muscle that encircles the eye. It works like a purse-string, squeezing the eye shut as it contracts. Just like the rest of our muscles, it weakens over time. This lets some of the fat beneath the muscle push it outward creating dreaded “under-eye bags”. This movement also creates a groove or “tear trough” beneath the lower eyelid which accentuates the puffiness or bulge.
To add insult to injury, the eyelid skin—the thinnest of all the skin on our body—thins even more as we age. Blood vessels and melanin become more visible, contributing to a darker appearance beneath our eyes.
How Do Dermal Filler Injections Help these Changes?
The most commonly used filler to help correct under-eye changes is Restylane. It is a hyaluronic acid gel. Completely compatible with your body, this gel helps correct changes under the eye by padding or camouflaging them. We can inject small amounts where you need more volume (in the tear trough) and we can also inject it deeply, under the orbicularis oculi muscle to help lift the muscle and provide structural support (like a younger eyelid muscle).
Restylane is also helpful in stimulating collagen in the skin around the eye. This helps improve the skin’s appearance and lessen dark “circles”. By smoothing the under-eye area with Restylane, we can change the way light hits the skin and decrease the “shadowed” look beneath the eye. This helps your eyes look more open, brighter and younger, and more importantly, it helps you look more refreshed and awake!
The best part of having dermal filler injections instead of surgery is that there is virtually no downtime. Most patients have mild swelling, and some may have mild bruising, but this typically resolves in a couple days compared to weeks following a surgical procedure.
Many patients have trouble keeping track of all the injection products on the market and the differences between them. Restylane and Restylane Lyft are no exception. These two fillers are distinct products that each have unique characteristics and features that make them ideal for different cosmetic concerns.
Both dermal fillers are made of hyaluronic acid (HA). They are produced from the same HA, but the major difference is the size of the HA particles in the gels. They are smaller in Restylane and larger in Restylane Lyft. This difference results in two products that have very different consistencies and therefore, different uses.
* Restylane before and after pictures
Restylane Lyft is a thicker, sturdier HA filler. This makes it ideal for deeper facial shaping techniques such as cheek augmentation and correction of deeper folds and wrinkles. Basically, anywhere you need more “heavy duty” filling and/or lifting. Restylane has a smoother consistency, and is ideal where more “finesse” or softer filling is required, such as the lips and beneath the eyes (tear troughs). It may also be used in deeper folds, but may simply require more of it to get the same effect of Restylane Lyft.
These two products may also be used together, and this is called “layering”. Dermal filler injections are often layered to give you the most natural-looking, proportionate results. For example, you may be concerned with deep laugh lines or nasolabial folds. Your injector may see a need to both augment your cheeks to lift them by using Restylane Lyft deep and then directly inject the nasolabial fold with Restylane. This technique places the thicker, sturdier filler deep within the skin and the smoother one closer to the skin’s surface.
The best part is that both products stimulate your body to make its own collagen and will work together to help your results last longer overall. Talk to your injector and discuss your concerns. A skilled aesthetic practitioner can help you decide which products will help you look your best and best fit your individual needs.
Read About All Celibre Medical’s Facial Shaping Techniques
Will Botox paralyze my face?
Botox is actually a muscle relaxant, so it does not paralyze facial muscles, it relaxes them. Botox injections work by blocking the connection between nerve endings in the muscles so as to relax the facial muscle and smooth the skin.
Is Botox just like Botulism?
There are 7 different types of Clostridium Botulinum bacteria used to make Botox. The highly purified protein Botulinum Toxin Type A, which is what Botox is made out of, is a protein complex produced by Clostridium Botulinum bacteria. So, Botox itself is the protein derived from the botulism rather than the bacteria itself. To indicate just how safe Botox injections are, more patients have had complications with Aspirin than they’ve had with Botox injections.
Botox prevents wrinkles.
This statement is false. As described above, Botox blocks neurons in the muscle pathways thereby relaxing facial muscles. This in turns smooths out the skin and makes wrinkles less apparent or not visible at all.
Botox injections are painful?
The needles used for Botox injections are only minimally larger than acupuncture needles, and most patients do not require any form of pain relief during Botox injections. Although there may be mild discomfort with Botox injections, there are ways to minimize any pain including ice packs.
Doesn’t Botox make eyelids droop?
While it is true that “ptosis” or drooping eyelids is a potential side effect of Botox injections, this effect only occurs when the injections are done incorrectly, and can easily be avoided by choosing an experienced Botox injection professional.
* More Botox before and after pictures
Lori Haney, RN, MEP-C
Certified Medical Laser Safety Officer
Did the younger you have thick, dark eyelashes? Have your lashes become sparse, thin and shorter with age? Have you thought about starting eyelash extensions, but don’t want to commit to the time, expense and maintenance that they involve? If so, then you may want to consider Latisse.
Latisse is the first and only FDA-approved prescription for small and thin eyelashes. Since 2008, it has helped millions of women regain the long, lush lashes of their youth and helped many have the best eyelashes of their entire life! It is a trusted and tested medication produced by the company Allergan, the makers of Botox Cosmetic.
When you use Latisse consistently over a period of 12 to 16 weeks, you will see longer, thicker and darker eyelashes. And because you only have to apply Latisse to the upper lash line once daily, it is an easy, quick and financially attractive alternative to extensions. Many women like that Latisse enhances and encourages the growth of their own eyelashes giving them results that look natural—not the obviously enhanced look that women with eyelash extensions have. Another plus is that many patients find that their morning mascara routine is obsolete once they start using Latisse!
Latisse is a medication. Therefore, you will need a prescription from a licensed practitioner before you can purchase and use it. At Celibre Medical, we follow the legal guidelines set by the state of California that require you to have a “Good Faith Exam” with our physician or advanced practitioner.
If you’ve dreamed of longer, darker and thicker eyelashes, try Latisse. Backed by the trusted name of Allergan, it is the only product on the market that has the research and real-world results proving that it’s safe and really works!
