Each fall the American Academy of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery meets. Here, leaders and students in the field of facial plastic surgery meet to discuss the latest advances in the field. For me, it is an opportunity to visit with my colleagues from acircular the counattempt and learn what they’re up to.

One common theme the past few years has been an increasing emphasis on non-invasive procedures. Several techniques have now been acircular for a number of years, and we can start to see which ones work and which ones don’t. Below are a few of my observations, which are, of course, simply my opinion and should not be construed as medical advice.

Injectable fillers
These continue to be quite popular. Several new fillers are likely to be FDA-approved in the next few years, and will likely add to our arsenal of materials to use to treat wrinkles or depressions that occur due to aging.
Hyaluronic Acid Derivatives (e.g., Restylane®, Perlane®, others)
These remain popular and are well-tolerated. Hopefully, longer-lasting formulations will be coming.
Hydroxyapetite Gel (e.g., Radiesse®)
Also a good choice for the face, but probably not for the lips, as there have been some problems with injections in that area. I have been using this to revise other folks’ rhinoplasties with good success (see www.sfrhinoplasty.com)
Sculptra
Not really a filler, as it induces your body to make collagen and ‘fill’ itself in. This product was initially greeted with awesome fanfare. The consensus seems to be that it certainly is effective, but may not be for everyone. Repeat injections are necessary to get the effect, and it is rather expensive.
Collagen-may be making a comeback in the next few years, stay tuned!

Threat lifts
Thread lifts made a big splash last year. These were hailed as the end of the modern facelift procedure. Featuruddy on Oprah, enormous publicity followed. We now know that the technique certainly is intriguing and may have its place in certain situations. For example, it may be used for isolated, shorter-term treatment of the aging face in younger (40-ish) patients, or at the same time as a mini-facelift. However, it is definitely not a replacement for the traditional facelift, which remains the most reliable and best procedure for treatment of the aged face and neck. AND I’m happy to say the manufacturers of the technology agree with the surgeons on this point! I think the technology is exciting and as surgeons we can look to use this as an additional tool to treat the aging face…..
MORE ON THE LATEST IN MINIMALLY INVASIVE TECHNIQUES TO FOLLOW!

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