To date the FDA officially lists twentyone approved products for cosmetic applications in the United States, nineteen of which entered the market since 2002. The underlying substances provide a longer lasting clinical effect without the risk of allergic reactions. This relatively large number of different facial fillers results in quite a bit of confusion of patients and physicians alike. We may safely assume that further products will be approved in the future with a potential increase of said confusion. It thus of some importance that you a a consumer / patient acquire some basic understanding of the commonalities and differences between fillers to make rational choices among them.
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Skin Rejuvenation, Aesthetic Medicine and Medical Skin Care Services
Skin rejuvenation and facial anti-aging therapies at Trinidad Institute of Plastic Surgery are physician administered state-of-the-art therapies with a proven track record of safety and efficacy. The service menu reflects what works in our experience and the scientific literature, particularly in dark skin in the Caribbean. It is important to remember that all state-of-the-art procedures […]
Botox
Botox is the trade name of the first commercially available preparation of botulinum toxin A (henceforth BTN-A). It is the miracle drug par excellence in aesthetic medicine, plastic surgery and neurology. Botox is so popular in aesthetic medicine because it predictably works each and every time. It is a medication in the real pharmacological sense of the word. Like a blood pressure pill lowers the blood pressure if taken as directed by the doctor, Botox decreases facial wrinkling if injected correctly by a knowledgeable plastic surgeon. Like any other medication, Botox has to be reapplied at certain intervals to maintain its effects in facial rejuvenation and anti-aging.
Chemical Peel
So we want to make the skin appear youthful again. How was it when you were young then? Do smooth, even skin tone and texture, no pores, elastic and glowing more or less describe it? These are all so called intrinsic qualities of the skin determined by the proper functioning of the skin at a cellular level in its uppermost one quarter of its thickness. This is right where a well done TCA chemical peel comes in. A TCA chemical peel hits the reset button of the skin at that level, erases the blackboard, clears the slate or whatever other analogy you like. After healing and regrowth of skin cells from the deeper layers, which are unaffected by the chemical peel, are complete – voila, well programmed and functioning cells sit on top and produce even color tone and texture, some new collagen (thicker skin appears less aged) and a level, smooth surface, all nicely synced to a roughly six weeks cell cycle.
MIDI Blepharoplasty
Eyelid surgery for lower lid rejuvenation with the MIDI blepharoplasty technique foregoes the skin and muscle flap technique of traditional cosmetic eyelid surgery and instead removes only a small strip of skin below the eyelashes. Then the small protruding fat pockets are removed through a small incision on the inside of the eyelid. The overall surgical trauma and scarring in the eyelid is minimized, which shortens the recovery time, reduces the formation of swelling and bruising markedly and decrease the risk of ectropion to almost zero. The crow’s feet and aged skin in the lower lid are treated with a combination of Botox and chemical peeling with TCA (trichloracetic acid). As no large skin and muscle flap is undermined during MIDI blepharoplasty, chemically peeling can be safely performed.
Facelift Surgery
A more correct name for facelift surgery would be a neck and lower third of the face lift or a jowl’s lift or what have you not. It does a lot to recreate a sharper angle at the transition between chin and neck and around the jaw line. It’s effectiveness when performed in a classical fashion with complete elevation of the skin envelope on the front of the neck is limited to these areas.
Medical Skin Care
From the standpoint of treatment in medical skin care and the necessary products there are exactly five things you can do for your skin. All rational and effective skin care products as well as more intense treatments such as resurfacing by dermabrasion or chemical peeling aim to influence one or more of these five factors. There is nothing more that can be done with topical (externally applied) products. These five pillars of rational medical skin care are cleansing, protection, hydration, exfoliation and stimulation.
Lip augmentation
Although the overwhelming majority of lip augmentations is performed with injectable fillers, there are other, less well known methods, which may be equally or more effective. Clients may not be aware of them and unless properly counseled by a plastic surgeon experienced in all of them their choice of treatment options may be very restricted indeed.
Mini Facelift
A mini facelift is a reduced version of the classic facelift, where the incision to access the lower parts of the face and remove excess skin is made in front of the ear only resulting in lifting of the jowls along the lower jaw. Contouring of the neck is performed with liposuction if warranted. The recovery period is relatively short – less than a week – and the two to two and a half hour procedure can frequently be performed in twilight anesthesia as an outpatient foregoing the need for a general anesthetic in classic facelifts.
Blepharoplasty
In relation to the financial resources, recovery time and operative risk invested (all relatively low), blepharoplasty offers the maximum subjective and objective improvements (all relatively high) and thus the greatest measurable value of all facial rejuvenation procedures. A relatively small (measured in millimeters) removal of skin and redistribution of fat results in a relatively large improvement of appearance, perceived subjectively as well as by the environment.