Reverse Appearance of Aging with Soft Tissue Fillers

Soft tissue fillers have evolved into a significant role in reversing the changes of aging. Volume depletion or loss of fullness in the face is a prime culprit in the aging appearance of many individuals. Restoring the volume, whether it be the cheeks, the lips or various folds along the face has become a valuable addition to other procedures that lift and tighten facial structures.

A summary of the different fillers we utilize are as follows:

Hyaluronic Acid products

Restylane® and Perlane®
Juvederm® Ultra and Ultra Plus

The hyaluronic acid fillers have been available in Europe for over eight years and in the United States for more than five years. These products are safe and effective in filling various folds, creases and augmenting the fullness of lips. There duration is between six to ten months. They provide a long lasting and natural appearance.

Radiesse®

This filler is a mineral product Hydroxy Apetite that is injected slightly deeper into the face than hyaluronic acid products. It is used primarily for deep folds and to fill in hollow cheeks and build up the loss of volume along the face. Radiesse® is also a very reliable, predictable and safe product with several years of an excellent track record. Radiesse® may last between 12-18 months in some cases.

Fat Injections

A patient's own fat is used as an injectable in many circumstances. Fat has the benefit of having some long term benefit. Some of the fat is permanently "living" in the injected area. This is performed in an "office procedure" under local anesthesia with a bit more swelling than with the injectables previously mentioned but with more long term benefit.

Patient Comfort is of the Utmost Importance

All of the above procedures are performed with local anesthesia and should have very little if any discomfort. We traditionally are highly sucessful in helping our patients become as comfortable as possible and many are amazed by how little discomfort they actually feel with these various injectable procedures. A gentle dental block or local anesthetic injection can make the areas that are injected completely comfortable. Hence, the injectable procedure may be performed without unecessary discomfort and anxiety.

We recommend to avoid aspirin and aspirin-like products such as Motrin® or Advil® for up to 10 days prior to the injection. This diminishes the risk of any significant bruising. Additionally, we also recommend Arnica Montana, a natural medication that is shown to diminish the duration and expectations of bruising.

Ramsey J. Choucair, M.D. offers breast augmentation surgery in: