When Tear Trough Fillers Go Bad…

Don’t worry!  You can be fixed!

There are plenty of scary things on the internet about aesthetic injectables gone wrong, and although I hate to add fuel to that fire (because majority of the time the result is amazing!), I had a client come see me over the holidays who was having one of such situations (not from me!).  She allowed her pictures to be used, so should someone else experience a similar situation, they would hopefully find her story!

Remember, no one is every perfect, and filler is meant to improve your natural beauty.

I have had many people contact me about tear troughs.  Belotero is a game changer for this area, and I LOVE the results from it.  I am very experienced with this area and this product.  If you are seeking tear trough augmentation, make sure you seek out someone who specializes in it!

Because Photoshop doesn’t work in person… only on the internet!

Want a good photographer?  Everyone should have one!  Check out one of my favorite fashion photographers, Alyssa Silvestri.

More info on Belotero?  Check out my previous blogs!

Video Blog: Tear Trough Augmentation.

Video Blog: Tear Trough Augmentation

Check out my video blog on YouTube: 

One of my favorite procedures to do since the introduction of Belotero Balance in the United States last October.

The tear trough is a grooved demarcation where the cheek skin meets the much thinner and highly vascular eye skin.  Because of the anatomy of this area, a thinner hyaluronic acid like Belotero is the perfect product (Belotero: The Buzz.).  It does not last as long as the more viscous hyaluronic acids, but it also has fewer complications.

Treatments in the middle third of the face, which contains the eyes, nose, and cheeks, require an aesthetic eye and advanced knowledge of facial anatomy.  Filling the tear trough area often requires cheek augmentation as well in order to look natural.  The cheeks can require a large amount of product depending on the degree of volume depletion.  Make sure you discuss this with your injector prior to injections!

This is a very advanced procedure, make sure you check out before and after pictures before being injected!  Many practioners do not offer this procedure because of the advanced training and skill it requires.  When done correctly, it looks AMAZING.  I’m not even a very good iPhone photographer, and I have some great before and after’s on my Pinterest and in other blog posts:

More Belotero!.

I hope you enjoyed my video.  They are really hard to make!

Aesthetic Consultation: Botox and Fillers

What to ask for and expect during consultations for Botox and fillers. consultation video

Botox Injection Locations

Locations in the face where Botox can be injected.

Lighting is good, and my voice sounds normal. I think I got the hang of vBlogging.

Please share this link with your friends!

Patient Treatment: Botox

Botox is increasing in popularity amongst professional, straight, male clients, such as this patient. I have many male patients who do a variety of jobs including construction, roofing, psychology, sales, and business owners.
Finding one of these men to be on a Youtube video was easier than I thought!

Botox 101

An introduction to Botox. What it is and what it isn’t.

More Belotero!

Belotero: The Buzz.

Belotero has been my #1 selling injectable since it has been on the market (September). It gets into the small little lines that no other product really can with the natural result that Belotero offers.

The procedure I do the most? Under the eyes! It literally takes 10 years off your face! I might not be able to take away sleepless nights and stress, but at least I can make it look like I did by improving Under Eye Circles and Bags! I’m so thrilled with this product I did my own under eyes (called the tear trough). December was so busy and stressful, I was looking really tired. I did my under eyes about a year ago with Juvéderm, but Belotero is much better designed product for this area (read why below).

Do you see how tired I look? (I hate sharing before pictures of myself with no makeup!)

A little numbing cream is put under the eye for about 20 minutes. Then the numbing cream is removed and the face is marked for anatomical landmarks. This is just how I mark the face. Other injectors might do it differently. I am also aware I need an eyelash fill REAL bad.

Looks so much better after!!! It didn’t bruise or hurt at all!

Look at my dark circles. They are TOTALLY gone. I swear I have NO advanced computer knowledge what-so-ever. These are straight off my phone!

Belotero vs. Juvéderm vs. Restylane

Why do I like Belotero under the eyes more than other Hyaluronic Acid (HA) products? Belo doesn’t have any hydrophilic effects (hydrophilic = attracts water molecules). Plus or minus a little bit of swelling, the correction looks the same the next day, the next week, and the next month.

Juvéderm and Restylane are also in the HA family, but have a hydrophilic effect. This means the product will take on water molecules after it is injected, giving the area treated more correction over the next few days to weeks. Great for your lips and cheeks. Not great in the ultra thin skin under the eye. When this area is over treated you will see a bump or a bluish hue from the product. It’s not pretty. But it can be dissolved!  Hyaluronidase; Just In Case: injectables for beginners..

I also like Belotero because the product is thinner, which means it can be deposited in more superficial areas with a smaller needle and less pokes! Yay!

**Remember though: It’s the right product for the right place for the right person! Discuss which product is right for you and why during a consultation!  For more general information on which product is right for you What Goes Where?

More Before and After Pictures

The above patient had 0.2cc of Belotero to her tear trough area. It was two injections. The patient stated she did not even feel it (topical numbing cream was used prior to injection). The patient experienced no bruising associated with the procedure.

The above patient is a good candidate for filler in this area because the dark circles under her eyes are accentuated by a shadowing effect from volume loss. By replacing volume, the skin of the eye and cheek become more continuous as opposed to separate.

The above patient had 0.3cc of Belotero to her tear trough area. Topical numbing cream was used prior to injection, and there was no pain associated with the treatment. The patient experienced minor bruising the day after the injection which was easily covered with make-up.

The above patient would be a good candidate for a blepharoplasty. Although there is a clear demarcation of her tear trough, and filler drastically improved the area, the root cause of the delineation is not so much volume loss as it is a herniated fat pad. This fat pad is supposed to cushion the eye as it sits in the eye socket. Numerous causes contribute to the pad “bulging” out.

Interested in learning more about blephs?  Read Why I Chose To Have an Eyelid Lift.

The above patient had 1cc (1 syringe) of Belotero to her superficial marionette lines with great improvement to the texture of her skin. Topical numbing cream was used. The patient did experience some minimal bruising the day after the procedure. She is very happy with the outcome.

XOXO, LK

Above picture:

2 months after my Belotero treatment

3 days into the annual Cutera Conference in Las Vegas (so, I haven’t slept in 3 days)

1 week post break-up with my boyfriend

And still looking refreshed! Thanks Belo! Qué Bella!
(that’s Spanish I think…)

Hyaluronidase; Just In Case: injectables for beginners.

I’m so good at rhyme. I’m just saying.

One in 5 women has interest in doing Botox, but has a billion questions, and it’s overwhelming. The inability to find the answers leaves this grey area of fear that supports a misguided rumor-mill of what Botox actually is. You can’t believe everything you read, and you certainly can’t believe everything you hear (unless I wrote it or said it. Then it is pretty much a fact).

‘The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear,

and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”

-H.P. Lovecraft ( ßI wonder if his parents are from Amherst… strange name… but good quote none-the-less).

New to the World of Injectables?

Usually, the first place we go to is the internet, but when it comes to health-related issues, this is not the best place to sift through to find information without training in How To Read A Medical Article (this is an ENTIRE class, and it is REALLY hard). And unless your best friend is me… there is a lot of misinformation going around via word of mouth.

To those readers who have never done a procedure, it is all the same. It’s ALL called Botox. (That’s NOT Botox..)

 

It’s Not All Botox!

There are a lot of injectable products on the market, and the world of Botox and Fillers is doing nothing but growing. Every person has a different face and different goals with aesthetics. So it needs to be the right product for the right problem, and really only an expert can decide what that is. Since I love making charts, I made a chart of the basic differences between Botox and Fillers. That’s important to know.

***Super Important Information Chart*** for lack of a better title.

Botox (or Onobotulinum Toxin A)	Fillers
Injected into the muscle.	Injected into folds.
Causes temporary “relaxing” of the muscles into which it is injected.	Causes temporary fill of folds into which it is injected.
Does not give any volume to the face.	Gives varying degrees of volume depending on the product used, the amount of product used, and the area being treated
Goes into lines that are a result of muscle movement.	Goes into folds that are a result of gravity and bone remodeling.
Botulinum Toxin family includes Dysport, Xeomin, Reloxolin, but they all basically do the same thing (but are not interchangeable in dosage) and are injected the same way into the same place.	No one uses collagen anymore. These products are way more advanced. We’re talking Hyaluronic acid (Juvéderm, Restalyne) and Calcium Hydroxylapatite (Radiesse). Sculptra (although technically a biostimulator) is in this family as well.
Lasts 3-6 months.	Lasts 4 months – 2 years depending on the product.
Is a thin liquid when injected.	Ranges from a thick gel (Radiesse) to a thick liquid (Sculptra).
Usually doesn’t bruise.	May bruise, depending on things like the technique used for injection, the amount of product injected, the size of the needle used.
Pinches, but requires no anesthetic.	Requires both topical and local anesthetic. And even then isn’t always completely painless (depends on the area you are injecting).

As we can conclude from my awesome chart, Botox and Fillers are very different products. The left side of the chart is pretty straight forward. If the line is a result of muscle movement you can inject Botox to improve it. The Botulinum Toxin family has the same properties and effects for the most part… and 99.9% of the time you’ll be receiving Botox. It’s a household name.

Fillers on the other hand… way more confusing to the novice patient. To anyone who has never undergone an injectable procedure, they are all called “doing Botox.” But, once the decision has been made to investigate what all the hype is about, there is a very VERY steep learning curve. So where should you start then?

The Hyaluronic Acid Family

There’s a few different kinds of HA’s. Restylane, Juvéderm, and Perlene are all examples of products in the Hyaluronic Acid family. They are all very different as well. They can last from 4 months to a year (Juvéderm lasts the longest… and is currently the #1 seller of HA’s).

Hyaluronic Acid is a sugar that your body naturally makes that attracts water molecules. Everything your body naturally makes, your body also naturally breaks down. One of the best things about trying Botox and Fillers is that they don’t last, so if you decide you don’t like the result of a treatment, the good news is, it isn’t forever. Unfortunately, that is also the bad news. But for a beginner, there literally is a product that can dissolve any HA injection that is not to your liking. This is a huge positive for people who are new to fillers.

Fortunately for me, I’ve never had to use Vitrase. My policy on filler removal has always been to wait two weeks post injection and to re-evaluate the area. Swelling can last about two weeks, and I like to take this into consideration as well as the initial “shock factor” some people can experience.

Hyaluronidase is an enzyme that acts at the site of injection (i.e. does not travel systemically) to break down and hydrolyze hyaluronic acid. Tissue permeability is increased. There is a temporary decrease in the viscosity of the HA, promoting diffusion of the injected product and facilitating the absorption of the fluid carrier.

It appears from the case studies I’ve read that this product can be injected anytime after misplacement of HA’s has occurred. From immediately, to up to five months post injection. It takes 24 hours for a majority of the HA to dissolve post hyaluronidase injection.

****Why not always use HA’s? …because they’re more expensive. But remember: Right product, Right place, Right person.

The world of Fillers is expanding. There’s a handful of products out there, and they’re all formulated just a teeny tiny bit different. It’s not all Botox, and it’s not all the same. If you need a starting off point, because you just don’t feel comfortable with the information overload, HA’s are definitely the safest bet. Because they can easily be dissolved if you don’t like the result… but I’ll put money on the opposite happening. J

XOXO

LK

Master of Puppets

Ha. I made a Metallica reference! Not sure how many of my readers are Metallica fans… but still… go me for creativity points. ANYWAYS. This post is about puppet lines, also known as marionette lines. A client of mine inspired the title of the post.

“My granddaughter looked at me and said Nana you look like a puppet!”

Children are so painfully honest sometimes.  A patient of mine told me her granddaughter’s statement was her reason for being in my office.  (Maybe I should be employing two year olds?… Is that legal?  Can I pay in candy?)

Her granddaughter was referring to the folds that develop from the corner of the mouth to the jaw line, also known as the “marionette line,” one of the more advanced signs of aging.

Can you fix it?

Yes.  By injecting filler medial to the folds.  The product I typically use is Radiesse, because these folds are usually deep and require a thick volumizing fill. How I do things might not necessarily be how other providers do them… but it should be pretty similar. I also stand behind this product choice. If someone tries to use a Hyaluronic Acid in this area, get out of their office, because you will be spending a FORTUNE.

Before

What Needed To Be Done?

In Physical Facial Changes That Occur As We Age I spoke about what happens to the face as we age.  In this case, I’d like to point out prejowels beginning and marionette lines starting.

Marionette Lines

Prejowel lines

Topical numbing cream is applied to the areas that will be treated for about 20 minutes. The skin is then cleaned with alcohol. The full length of the Radiesse needle is inserted and product is deposited in a technique called fanning and product is deposited as the needle is withdrawn. The outside hub of the needle is a gauge larger than the inside to create a tract for the product to be placed. So the only discomfort is the actual needle, I add lidocaine to my Radiesse (which most people do). Really, not so bad as far as pain goes.

 The needle is inserted at the “X” and it goes straight up to the corner of the mouth. Like I said, product is inserted as the needle is withdrawn. This is called retrograde technique. Before the needle is taken out it is repositioned at a 30 degree angle, the full length of the needle is again inserted, and product is deposited as it is withdrawn. It is done again at a 45 degree angle.

Basically, it’s one insertion point (i.e. one poke) on each side, and the needle is pivoted while within the skin layers. It gets less painful as you go along because there is lidocaine mixed into the product.

Last the jaw line is sharpened. “X” is the insertion point. The full length of the needle is then inserted, and product deposited as it’s withdrawn.

After

This picture is immediately after. There is some swelling that has begun, but you can see some of the immediate results. This patient used a 1.5cc Radiesse syringe (the large). She could use a little more product in the jaw line and around the corners of the mouth. I personally like to do things one syringe at a time. Because swelling begins immediately, I find results are best this way. Also, some people don’t want to look perfect, they want to look IMPROVED. The most important thing to note on this client is that she no longer looks like she is frowning when her mouth is at rest. Fillers are AWESOME!

Side Note

Sorry friends, this is a super busy week for me! I have a 20 person Botox Party on Friday, on top of my regular clients! I will actually be seeing this patient again this week, and will have a non-swollen after picture for you. She looks amazing and is super happy! Yay!

*If YOU Are Considering Filler*

Fillers can bruise. Do NOT. I repeat. Do NOT do these things if you have an event within two weeks. This is a worse case scenario for bruising. Highly unlikely you will have a bruise for two weeks… but… I wouldn’t wanna chance it if I was planning on running into my ex-husband at my high school reunion and the whole reason I wanted to get filler was to look too good for words. Just saying.

The reality of the situation is you will bruise. Probably for a few days. You can cover it with make-up. And tell everyone you went to the dentist. (I know my friend Colleen-a dental hygienist- is going to yell at me for making the dentist sound bad. Sorry Col. I love the dentist. I really do. He makes for a great excuse for my clients.)

Expect to pay $300-$800 in the Boston Area for this treatment with Radiesse. The amount of money you spend is a direct correlation to the result you will receive. The amount of product you will require for the result you desire (poetry!) depends on a lot of different factors, so ask your provider!

ICE YOUR FACE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AFTER THIS TREATMENT. The more you ice, the less you will swell. Twenty minutes on, 20 minutes off. If you can do it the rest of the day, do it. If not, just ice as much as possible.