When can "Just a Little" do a lot?
This retired woman wanted to look a little better but did not want plastic surgery. She was hoping for minimally invasive procedures with not a lot of down time. On the other hand, she wanted dramatic and long lasting results. The solution was somewhere between surgery requiring an anesthesiologist, and noninvasive procedures that don’t create dramatic changes.
This 63 year old patient complained of hooded eyes, lax and sun-damaged skin, a drooping mouth with thin lips and hollows under her eyes. To treat these issues the patient had an upper lid belpharoplasty, laser resurfacing; erbium plus fractional, Restylane injection to the lip region, Radiesse injections under eyes and nasolabial folds. Picture at right is patient 6 weeks after treatment.
The solution was somewhere between surgery requiring an anesthesiologist, and noninvasive procedures that don’t create dramatic changes.
Our recommendations:
1. Upper lid skin removal under local anesthesia. Down time: 3 days.
2. Laser resurfacing plus fractional laser to remove pigment. Laser can be very aggressive or minimally invasive—the degree of down time correlates with the outcome. This patient was able to have a significant resurfacing with a regional block. While her pigmentation is not totally corrected, and all of her wrinkles are not gone, her skin looks outstanding without makeup.Anesthesia: local. Down time: 5 days.
3. Restylane lip injection is done under local anesthesia, sometimes with a dental block. Downtime: none, but minor swelling and stiffness is seen for about 3-5 days.
4. Radiesse injections are used in areas where more volume and deeper fill is needed. Radiesse lasts longer than Restylane; about 1 to 1 ½ years. For patients who need to fill out creases and hollows, or who would like fuller cheeks without implants, Radiesse is and excellent option for creating a younger, prettier look.
Anesthesia: local. Downtime: none. Occasionally both Restylane and Radiesse can cause bruising or prolonged swelling, although this is not common.
This patient said she looked angry all the time before she had help with her aging face. Now she likes the person she sees in the mirror. She feels she projects a friendlier look to other people, and that the person inside is more visible in her facial expression.
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