Non-surgical

Non surgical procedures continue to grow in popularity. Patients seek these treatments because they want a less expensive option with less down time and are willing to have or want a less dramatic effect. Botox and fillers are popular in my practice. I do not delegate these procedures, but perform them myself as I believe that despite their apparent ease to do, they are best performed by plastic surgeons who have the appropriate training and artistry to do them well.

Botox is, to my mind, a wonder drug. It relaxes muscles responsible for causing wrinkles and so allows wrinkle effacement. It has both a therapeutic (curative) and a preventative role in preventing the signs of aging. Botox works well on its own or combined with facial rejuvenation surgery. Its primary use is in the upper face - frown lines, crow's feet lines and forehead lines -although Botox is also used for the neck, around the mouth, for excess sweating and for other uses. More on botox...

Fillers have improved a lot over recent years. Collagen because of allergic and other reactions, unreliable effect, short duration of action and other issues is no longer widely used having been replaced by Hyaluronic Acid (HA) based fillers. These modern fillers, sometimes called NASHA (non animal derived, stabalised HA), now come in a variety of forms suitable for deep and more superficial filling for both bulk and wrinkles or lines of various types. Many companies make filler. I predominantly use the ones made by Juvederm and Qmed (Restylane) and usually carry the whole range. Injection can be done at the time of consultation. More on fillers...

Resurfacing techniques include chemical peels, dermabrasion, needling and laser. Dermabrasion has largely fallen out of favour and I do not do dermabrasion or laser. Laser can provide good results, but can also cause problems of prolonged redness, skin damage and long term thinning of the skin, something which occurs with aging as well. I therefore restrict my resurfacing to chemical peels. More on resurfacing...

Article written 26 October 2010.