Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/54008
Skin Health Special Advertising Section The Over-done Face By Dr. Richard C. Parfitt One of the biggest trends in medical cos- metic procedures today is to try to reverse the signs of facial aging by using injectable "dermal fillers." These include products like Restylane, Juvederm, Radiesse, and Artefill. The idea is that, as we age, facial creases deepen, and the fat that used to plump up the upper cheeks tends to drop to a lower position due to gravity. Fillers add volume. Therefore, by adding volume to creases and by replenishing volume in the higher cheek areas where the sagging tissues were positioned in youth, one gets a more youthful look. In addition, when you fill up a sagging "bag" of skin, the "bag" becomes plumper and smoother. Sounds like a good idea, right? Well, yes, fillers make sense when re- versing signs of facial aging—to a point. There is a point, beyond which, the amount of filler needed to create these rejuvenating effects, is too much. Beyond this point, the face begins to distort and the person be- gins to become less and less recognizable as themselves. The lips, cheeks, and jawline start looking too big and disproportionate. For most people this distortion is not a good tradeoff for getting rid of a few years of aging. Fortunately, mistakes go away after a few months, since most fillers dis- appear over time. However, using a per- manent filler like Artefill is just asking for trouble that won't ever go away. The web site awfulplasticsurgery.com is filled with examples of the distortion of faces that occurs with over-injection of fillers. These "awful" results aren't due to surgery. They are actually due to over- done non-surgical "filler" procedures. In fact, when done by an expert, facial plastic surgery still provides the most natural re- versal of facial aging by simply reposition- ing sagging skin and deeper tissues back where it used to be many years ago. Dr. Richard C. Parfitt is a double-board certified facial cosmetic surgeon at Parfitt Facial Cosmetic Surgery Center, 2261 Deming Way, Middleton; (608) 831-3991. January 2012 bravamagazine.com 37