Question:

Do any fillers provide permanent results? Which provide the longest lasting results and what can they be used for?

Answer:

There are several fillers available which are semipermanent and are used in Europe and Canada. In the US Artefill is one of the recently FDA approved fillers to be approved. Artefill has little permanent beads in it and as such can be rejected by the body which would give little mosquito bite like bumps over the “filled areas”. As such and with the negligible complication rates of hyaluronic acid and hydroxyapatite we are awaiting futher safety data before we offer these products to our patients.

Question:

How quickly will I see the results of fractional skin rejuvenation, and will there be any redness or swelling after the procedure?

Answer:

Results will be apparent after 4 days but the early results and improvement seen is from the swelling of the skin and is a temporary benefit. As the swelling diminishes cells called fibroblasts migrate to the region and begin producing collagen which produces more of the permanent improvement for wrinkles and scarring. After healing much of the pigmentary problems of the skin improve and this occurs about 1 to 2 weeks following treatment.

Question:

The tip of my nose is too round. Can this be corrected with rhinoplasty?

Answer:

Patients with round or bulbous tips are excellent candidates for rhinoplasty especially if the roundness is created by excess or excessively rounded tip cartilages. Occaisionally the roundness is casued by excess fat or tissue in the tip associated with thick skin and this is a problem that should be addressed by a rhinoplasty specialist. In rounded cartilage patients we reshape the cartilage by removing a small portion and then recontouring them with specialized suture techniques. This helps to reduce the roundness or “bulbous” shape of the tip and gives a more natural and aesthetically pleasing triangular tip.