Facial Rejuvenation
When it comes to facial rejuvenation or soft tissue augmentation the options are limitless. It is always my recommendation to stick with FDA approved products and procedures. With over a decade in private practice, I have seen several patients who thought of ways to save some money and cut corners. By allowing medical professionals or nonprofessionals to inject their face and body with permanent fillers that are not FDA approved they’ve compromised their health and even their aesthetic goals. THIS IS NEVER A GREAT IDEA!!!!
Of course, there are a lot of patients around the world that receive injections to re-volumize their face and soft tissues every day and many of them have success stories to tell. However, these permanent fillers can result in adverse events or with less than desirable outcomes. So, for the unlucky few the situation can be tricky and at times dangerous.
Several years ago, a young woman walked into my clinic complaining about her lips. Upon exam the lips were extremely swollen, bruised, and the internal mucosa was dried and cracked. Someone injected her with a permanent filler made of a non-dissolvable plastic polymer, certainly not indicated for lip injections and definitely not FDA approved. The same individual tried many times to use Hyaluronidase to dissolve the filler but was unsuccessful. This medication is used to dissolve hyaluronic acid and not plastic polymers. Her face after I broke the bad news is a vivid memory in my mind… surgery to try to clean out the product, was the only remedy. While this was a hard lesson to learn, I reminded her that a good patient is an educated patient. Remember, your face is worth way more than a discounted service. My favorite lip filler is Juvéderm Volbella. It is extremely soft, natural, and offers minimal swelling post injection.
In another instance, a patient came to me with the interest of having a breast augmentation. I perform several of these procedures on a monthly basis so prior to examination this patient sounded like the perfect candidate. She just wanted to replace some volume she had lost after pregnancy. But everything changed during the physical examination when she told me that someone had injected her breast with some sort of silicone. I invite you to read an article I wrote about this case however I warn you, it is a little graphic in detail.
Your body is not any less worthy than your face! Fillers for body enhancement are not FDA indicated procedures and I do not recommend them. If you are interested in breast augmentation the FDA only approved procedures are fat grafting or the insertion of silicone or saline breast implants.
Ultimately the most important advice I can give to those seeking soft tissue augmentation is to choose your cosmetic surgeon wisely. When scheduling a consultation, don’t be scared to ask as many questions as you need to feel comfortable. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t go for it!