Non-surgical facial enhancement—An instant solution for a younger-looking face

Want your face to look younger, but without the expense and downtime of surgery? You're not alone. Facial injectable “lunchtime” treatments can offer you fast results with little or no downtime.

These quick, affordable treatments have increased 754% between 1997 and 2007, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. In 2007 alone, 8,495,822 non-surgical facial enhancement procedures were performed in the U.S.

Dr. Rappaport offers several types
of facial injectable treatments

• Botox® Cosmetic, the most popular non-surgical facial enhancement in the U.S., helps smooth the face by relaxing the muscles that cause frown lines, forehead wrinkles and crow's feet.
• Radiesse is a semi-permanent filler that adds youthful fullness to the face. It can be used to smooth out the “parentheses” from the nose to the corners of the mouth, the “tear trough” area below the eyes, “marionette lines” from the corners of the mouth to the chin, and to mask the early signs of jowling.
• Juvéderm is a hyaluronic acid facial filler approved by the FDA to last up to one year. Dr. Rappaport uses Juvéderm for natural-looking lip enhancement, as well as to plump up facial lines and rejuvenate the face.

Dr. Rappaport answers questions
about facial fillers

Do you perform facial injections yourself?

“Yes. There's a real difference when you have your injectables done by a skilled physician. My knowledge of anatomy and appreciation of aesthetics allow me to give you a very natural look.”

Do you offer fat injections?

“Yes. I can use your natural fat to help volumize your face. However, it's not my first choice, because it's very time-consuming and expensive. You can get the initial effect with other filler materials.

“If you were looking for more permanent results, I would speak long and hard with you about natural fat injections. There are some people who swear by fat injections in terms of longevity, and others who swear at them.”

How do the results of fat injections compare
with other facial fillers?

“Fat injections have inconsistent results from physician to physician, as well as from patient to patient. That's another reason why fat injections are not one of my favorite options.

“I'm so happy with the manufactured filler materials I'm using—Radiesse and Juvéderm —that their cost-effectiveness and reliable results make me prefer them over fat injections.”

When are fat injections performed?

“I can do fat injections at the same time as facial surgery. Or, if I'm doing liposuction on other areas of your body, I can harvest the fat and use it in your face if you don't want any foreign materials used as fillers.”

Are many patients allergic to the manufactured fillers?

“No—that's because fillers like Juvéderm and Radiesse are non-animal products. Older injectables such as Hylaform were made from chicken's combs. And because bovine collagen was derived from cows, patients needed to undergo pre-testing to check for allergies.

“With today's fillers, no pre-testing is needed. You can come in for a consultation on injectables, and if you decide to go ahead, you can have your first treatment during the same office visit.”