Archive for the ‘Botox, Dysport, Botulinum’ Category

Fillers, Botox or Lasers for the Under Lower Eyelid Area?

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

This was a question I answered for someone recently:

Restylane is a filler and can be used to fill in the lost volume that is really the cause of the majority of the reason why your lower eyelid looks the way it does. Fat injections, the YoungLift, Juvederm, Perlane, Radiesse are other fillers that can be filled into the lower eyelid area.  The temporary fillers last from 6 months (restylane) to a year or more (radiesse) with perlane and juvederm in between.  Fat injections can last much longer but this isn’t guaranteed but is the best shot for a long term correction.

Botox prevents the muscle around the eyes from squinting which can make the wrinkles less noticeable. Dysport (or botox / bo tox / botulinum / neurotoxin / disport) is a great option.  But these do nothing for the surface quality of the skin and neither does the filler. But the fillers can decrease the amount of wrinkles by filling up the volume.

This is where the co2 laser or other resurfacing procedure (erbium yag, active fx, ultrapulse, deep fx, max fx, total fx, traditional co2 laser resurfacing, laser peel) can help with by decreasing the wrinkles and actually tightening the skin.  A small amount of volumizing also occurs with lasers with their creating of a thin collagen layer deep to the skin.

I hope that helps some!

Thanks for reading, Dr Young

Dr Young specializes in Facial Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery and is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington

Are Botox results permanent and can they be permanent?

Saturday, October 3rd, 2009

Botox (dysport / botulinum toxin / wrinkle remover / bo tox / disport) results are temporary.  Botox binds on to the part of the nerve that releases neurotransmitter into the space that eventually blocks muscle contraction. Your nerves eventually regrow though and that determines how long botox lasts which is around 3-6 months.  The more botox you do the more that your muscles get weaker over time and hence the results of botox has the potential to last longer.  But they are never permanent.  There are ways to take away or clip specific nerves to get the same results  but longer.  Also there is a radiofrequency technique that targets specific nerves for longer results than botox.  The technique basically damages specific nerves so that they don’t lead to contraction of certain nerves that cause wrinkles.

Thanks for reading, Dr Young

Dr Young specializes in Facial Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery and is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington

Can botox and fillers make you look worse after they wear off?

Friday, September 4th, 2009

People tend  to forget about how they used to look like after they get their improvement from botox (or dysport / botulinum toxin / bo tox) and fillers (such as juvederm / restylane / radiesse / perlane / cosmoderm / artefill / sculptra / alloderm).  This is a very common occurence.  Hence when the effects wear off, people tend to think they look worse when in fact they are just returning to a previous less optimal state. In fact, botox will only help make the muscles weaker the more you do it which will essentially leave the muscle less likely to make more wrinkles. Fillers also have a possibility to make things better even after the effects are long expected to be gone.  Sometimes, fillers develop scar tissue around it which makes the fillers last longer and hence the beneficial effects last longer.  The scar tissue prevents the body from breaking it down. This is something that I have noticed in many patients.  But, back to the question, i don’t think your appearance is usually made to look worse after these temporary treatments. In general, botox can improve the appearance of dynamic wrinkles (wrinkle treatment / facial line treatment) while fillers can improve more static wrinkles by filling in loss volume.

I refined an amazing volumizing procedure called “the YoungLift”. This is an innovative technique that volumizes your face to bring out the younger and natural you without looking like you had something done. This is not a facelift and requires no incisions. Only pinpoint puncture sites are used and these heal imperceptibly. The YoungLift can be done without general anesthesia and without drains, and large bandages. You also have sometimes a lot less downtime and discomfort compared with traditional facelift procedures. I employ the very best techniques from around the world into one volumizing procedure and I use my internationally acclaimed understanding of facial beauty to create the youthful volume you once had.

Thanks for reading, Dr Young

Dr Young specializes in Facial Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery and is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington

Why is Dr Young an excellent choice for Botox / Dysport.

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Well to begin with, I’m double board certified in Facial Plastic Surgery and Head and Neck Surgery. When I took the facial plastic boards in 2006, I scored the number one score in the nation on the written exam.  This is the board exam that certifies people who specialize in the face! For botox, one of the most common complications, which happens 3.2 % of the time (to as low as 1.2%), is droopy eyelids.  Of all my injections, I have never had one incident of this.  This is sort of an example of why I’m an excellent choice, as a physician to choose, to have your Botox / Dysport injections.  I have been injecting Botox for around 7 years.  Botox / Dysport can be used for forehead / glabellar wrinkles., crows feet, lip lines, neck lines, neck bands, downturned mouth, gummy smile, lines around the eyes, nasal flare wrinkles.

Dr Young is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington

How to avoid problems with Botox, such as eyelid drooping.

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

This a questions someone asked me regarding botox:

Botox / Dysport can help with wrinkles in between your eyes or glabella, forehead wrinkles, crows feet, eye wrinkles, bunny lines, chin dimpling, lip lines, lower eyelid wrinkles, gummy smile, neck banding, etc.  In terms of safety, there are a lot of ways to make botox safe and avoid complications. Botox can be done in a safe way to avoid problems.  First off, diluting the botox with less solution can go a long way.  I typically use only 2cc of botox where some other physicians use up to 4 cc of saline.  When you use more saline, you end up needing more volume for the same number of units.  What this means is that the more volume you use the more the botox will be spread out.  When the botox is spread out, it can affect other muscles around the area and cause unwanted effects.  In your specific question, having droopy eyelids can occure when the botox reaches the muscle that lifts up your eyelid.  With a smaller volume with the same amount of botox, the botox is less likely to reach that muscle.  Also to avoid reaching that muscle its important to stay away from the eye or the orbital part of the eye.  As you inject botox as it approaches the middle part of the eyebrow you need to move the injections further away from the eye.  Knowing where to inject makes a big difference as well.  For the forehead, you don’t want to inject the botox too low.  When you inject too low it can lead to your eyebrows descending as well.  I usually try to stay at least superior to the halfway point in terms of the height of the forehead.  Consulting a person specializing in the face is always an important thing to consider.

Dr Young is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington

Non Surgical Face Lift

Sunday, July 19th, 2009

There are many questions out there regarding an alternative for a non surgical facelift.  There are ways to tighten up your face without making incisions.  One way to do this is to undergo a laser resurfacing. We have the lumenis Active Fx Deep Fx co2 laser resurfacing unit and this is proven to be the best one out there on the market. It is the safest and most versatile of all co2 laser units and this can improve your skin by decreasing the wrinkles, improving skin texture, decreasing pore size, tightening the skin and creating collagen under the skin surface to create some more youthful volume.  Co2 laser resurfacing can tighten your neck skin and laxity as well. One thing to remember is that the tightening from a non-surgical face lift with co2 resurfacing will be subtle as compared to a facelift but you can get some results from this.

The other options include using botox/dysport, fillers, and fat injections that don’t require incisions.  Botox / Dysport is a neuromuscular agent that can make certain muscles weaker that helps decrease wrinkles that are from muscular contraction. I have a youtube video to show where you can have botox and how it can help.

When you age you tend to lose volume and this can be replaced with fillers that require injections as an option for a non surgical face lift.  Fillers are usually temporary, at least the safer ones and last from 6months to a year or more.  Restylane, Juvederm, Radiesse, Perlane are some options. These modes can be used for the wrinkles between the eyes called the Glabellar region, for the dark circles under the eyes, for lip augmentation / plumping, and many other issues in the face.

Fat injection are another option for a non-surgical facelift and related to this is the YoungLift which I have refined.

I refined an amazing volumizing procedure called “the YoungLift”.  This is an innovative technique that volumizes your face to bring out the younger and natural you without looking like you had something done.  This is not a facelift and requires no incisions.  Only pinpoint puncture sites are used and these heal imperceptibly.  The YoungLift can be done without general anesthesia and without drains, and large bandages.  You also have a lot less downtime and discomfort compared with traditional facelift procedures.  Dr Young employs the very best techniques from around the world into one volumizing procedure and he uses his internationally acclaimed understanding of facial beauty to create the youthful volume you once had.

Dr Young is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington

Dysport

Friday, July 17th, 2009

Dysport is the new Botulinum Toxin out there. This product has recently recieved FDA approval and is being used in the United States.  It has a long safe track record in Europe and many people are excited about its use here in the states.  Dysport has been touted as being longer lasting. From what I have heard from representatives is that the FDA allowed it to be marketed as lasting about a month longer than Botox that we are currently using now.  The onset of Dysport is also quicker according to some.

Dr Young is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington

Making your skin look great without surgery and the options

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

All of these options can help you maintain your skin without surgery.

Fillers: when you age you lose volume and replacing this volume can do wonders to fill in the facial contours.  This can get rid of general wrinkles and highlight the face in ways to bring youth to the face.  Restylane, Juvederm, Perlane are hyaluronic acids and last from 6 months to a year or more.  Radiesse is made out of bone and is very compatible and will last about a year.  Artefiill is polymethametacrylate microspheres and is a permanent filler that is FDA approved for the nasolabial folds and can basically last permanently.

Resurfacing: is a way to remove wrinkles, make pores smaller, take away unwanted pigmentation and tighten the skin.  Chemical Peels, co2 laser resurfacing, dermabrasion, aggressive microdermabrasion, fractionated lasers can all do this to some degree.  They can be tailored to fit your lifestyle and schedule.  This is the only way to really improve the etched in wrinkles on the surface aspect while fillers can help do this from a deeper level.  Fillers however will not change the surface charateristics as much as resurfacing modes can.

Retin A: can reverse skin damage, decrease your chances of skin cancer, improve fine wrinkles, decrease unwanted pigmentation in mild to moderate degrees.  This is a topical medication and is available through prescription only.  Retin A can also help with Acne as well.  It is also used to prepare the skin for laser resurfacing.

IPL: Intense Pulse Light is light that is concentrated and filtered to allow a selected range of light to target pigements, brown spots, and vessels and the red spots they create.  There is essentially no downtime with this treatment.  It can also tighten your skin to a small degree.  The reduction of the spots can really make your skin look clear and younger

Botox/Dysport: makes the muscles in your face weak whereever its injected. When the muscles are weak they can’t make wrinkles with the expressions.  Botox can be injected in a directed manner to reduce the appearance of wrinkles!

Skin care is vital. Your skin protects your face and allows it to look the way it does.  When you wash your face with harsh chemicals or expose it to the environment in a extreme way it will react with redness and hyperpigmentation.  Washing with a gentle cleanser and only once a day max will help.  Tanning is a no no and you should always wear sunscreen and apply it all the time.  Staying out of the sun is also important.

Dr Young is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington

What to do about the neck bands a questions I answered for a patient who had things done by another doctor

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

You didn’t mention what was most bothersome but I’m assuming its the banding in your neck. Botox/Dysport can help improve this banding and will last 3-6 months. Another way of doing this is by doing a minimally invasive facelift concentrating in the neck area along with doing some work under the chin to release the bands. This approach is more invasive and another way of improving the way your neck looks is by grafting fat throughout your neck. You have to have enough fat to graft into the area. Usually the abdomen or stomach area is the best area to get this fat.

Dr Young is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington

Improving Glabellar lines with botox and fillers

Sunday, June 28th, 2009

The glabellar area looks the way it does when you lose volume in this area as you age. Botox, Dysport is a temporary fix to paralyze the muscles for a 3-6month period. This keeps the muscles from working and creating and deepening the wrinkles in this area. Botox doesn’t improve the volume loss. If you look at infants and children you will notice that the glabellar area is quite a bit fuller than the older individual and really the whole forehead is much more volumized in youth.

Dermal fillers and Fat grafting are a great way to improve the glabellar region and the lines that form in this area. The filling removes the muscles from the skin and makes it harder for the muscle to actually create the wrinkles. Fat injections also help break up the fibrous tissue that can sometimes hold down the wrinkles in their current wrinkled state.

I refined an amazing volumizing procedure called “the YoungLift”.  This is an innovative technique that volumizes your face to bring out the younger and natural you without looking like you had something done.  This is not a facelift and requires no incisions.  Only pinpoint puncture sites are used and these heal imperceptibly.  The YoungLift can be done without general anesthesia and without drains, and large bandages.  You also have a lot less downtime and discomfort compared with traditional facelift procedures.  Dr Young employs the very best techniques from around the world into one volumizing procedure and he uses his internationally acclaimed understanding of facial beauty to create the youthful volume you once had.

Dr Young is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington