While many people benefit from state-of-the-art surgical enhancement procedures to achieve a more youthful and refreshed appearance, some may prefer less invasive procedures that yield more subtle but effective results. The Facial Plastic Surgery Center offers a full range of minimally invasive aesthetic enhancement procedures that can revitalize your appearance without the downtime associated with major surgery.
Chemical Peel
A chemical peel is a treatment in which an acid solution is used to remove the damaged outer layers of the skin. It enhances and smoothes the texture of the skin and is an effective treatment for facial blemishes, wrinkles, and uneven skin pigmentation. There are a wide variety of peels available, each with its own unique benefits as well as risks.
Chemical peels can be classified as mild, moderate or deep depending upon the depth of penetration and desired results. Deeper peels, such as TCA (Trichloroacetic acid), result in more dramatic effects as well as higher risks, mild to moderate discomfort, and longer healing time. With deeper peels, downtime may be up to 10 days. Repeated application of less invasive chemical peels such as retinol or alpha-hydroxy acids refresh, renew and restore the skin with little to no down time.
BOTOX® Cosmetic
Regardless of the steps taken to preserve youthful-looking skin, it is inevitable that wrinkles and lines will eventually develop. Every time a person frowns, smiles, or squints, facial muscles contract to fold or crease the skin. One of the easiest and most popular options for softening these lines is Botulinum injections, trade name BOTOX® or DysportTM. Common areas to inject include frown lines between the eyes, forehead lines as well as crow’s feet. Both BOTOX® and DysportTM have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the safe and effective reduction of facial wrinkles.
Discomfort associated with the injection is minimal and brief. The entire treatment takes only 10 – 15 minutes to complete. Over the course of 7-10 days, the muscles gradually relax thereby softening or eliminating the frown lines.
After injections, patients may immediately return to their normal activities. Our patients enjoy their relaxed look for three to five months before further treatment is necessary.
Dermal Fillers
There are many other cosmetic injectable treatments that can not only reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, but also add volume to facial features for improved contour and a more youthful appearance. Some common areas to inject include the areas between the nose and the mouth (nasolabial folds), lower lip corners (puppet smile lines), along the jaw-line, cheeks, brows and lips.
The Facial Plastic Surgery Center provides the latest in HA (hyaluronic acid) dermal fillers, a substance that naturally occurs in the human body, including Restylane®. Because of their HA based composition and unique chemical structure, the molecules tend to bind with water as they break down, allowing the "plumping" effect to fill in and reshape facial tissue. The results usually last between 12 to 18 months. Choice depends upon depth of placement, physician and patient preference. The entire procedure usually takes approximately 30 – 60 minutes depending on the number of treatment areas. You may experience some degree of redness, swelling, and/or bruising immediately following the procedure. Redness and swelling should dissipate within a few days, but bruising may last up to 10 days. Repeated injecting of dermal fillers produces new collagen – which results in even longer lasting results.
Also available is RadiesseTM, calcium hydroxyapatite microspheres, in a biocompatible gel. Radiesse™ is a firmer material typically used for deeper augmentation such as the nasolabial folds, jaw-line and cheek areas. Radiesse™ results are immediately apparent, and this treatment is known for its long-lasting effects. In fact, you may experience results that can last up to two years with Radiesse™.
All fillers used at Facial Plastic Surgery Center are approved by the FDA.
Lip Enhancement Treatment Options
Lip enhancement is a minimally invasive way of giving your entire face a more youthful, sensual, and natural appearance. A number of cosmetic injectable treatments are available that can be used to plump up and recontour the lips. Injectable dermal fillers such as Juvederm™ and Restylane® are some of the more popular fillers used for lip enhancement. Treatment sessions typically last 30 minutes or less. Patients can usually expect some bruising or mild swelling after lip enhancement treatment; however, these side effects should fade significantly within a few days after the procedure. Results from lip enhancement can be maintained for very long periods of time with occasional "touch-up" treatments.
There are also more permanent options for beautifully sculpted and lifted lips such as surgical placement of implants or lip lifts. These procedures involve exposing more of the pink lip tissue from inside the mouth. While a little more involved, patient satisfaction is usually very high for those with noticeably thin lip tissue. Surgery would be performed in an outpatient surgical facility. Patients should expect some downtime with bruising and swelling lasting 7-10 days.