Health Blog

Facial fillers--especially hyaluronic acid-based facial fillers like Juvéderm, Restylane, and Perlane--are some of the most popular cosmetic treatments being performed today. Their popularity is due to three factors. First, they are popular because the loss of volume in the face is one of the unfortunate effects of aging. As we age, our face naturally loses volume from the cheeks, the lips, and other areas where subcutaneous fat provides the pleasing contours of the youthful face. Facial fillers can restore lost volume and make your face look younger. The second reason for the popularity of facial fillers is the ease of treatment. Treatment with a facial filler takes about 15 minutes and requires no down time. You can go in and be treated, then return to work without even taking an extended lunch. The third reason for the "popularity" of facial fillers is that they require numerous retreatments. Not only may you need several sets of injections to achieve the level of fullness you desire in your face, but most facial fillers last only six months or less, leading to at least two treatments per year for their users. Wouldn't it be great if there were a permanent option for restoring the lost volume of your face? There is! Facial implants are one of the least-utilized marvels of modern cosmetic surgery. They can perform many of the functions for which people rely on facial fillers, but can give significant cosmetic improvement for many aesthetic defects of the face. And facial implants are virtually permanent, although they can be removed or revised if necessary. Unlike breast implants, facial implants do not have to be replaced every ten years. Advanced Materials When facial implants were first being used by cosmetic surgeons, they were not produced commercially on a large scale, so cosmetic surgeons used whatever biocompatible materials they had handy, from silicone rubber to polyester fiber. Because the materials varied, the results also varied, and were unpredictable. Nowadays, however, the majority of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, which is most commonly known under the brand name Teflon. This material has many advantages. Not only is it inert with respect to the body's metabolism, meaning that it doesn't interact with your body's chemistry, making it non-toxic and non-carcinogenic, but it also can be made in almost any shape and in a variety of hardnesses to mimic either bone or soft tissue. Combined with titanium fasteners, modern facial implants are long-lasting, very safe, and give excellent results. Advanced Manufacturing In the past, cosmetic surgeons made their facial implants themselves using many different techniques. Sometimes this included hand-sculpting blocks of material or rolling up fiber mesh. This continued even after implants became commercially available on a large scale, because the implants were not too precisely formed, leading to imprecise results. Nowadays, however, advanced manufacturing techniques utilizing CAD/CAM technology and precise medical imaging combine to allow each implant to be custom-crafted to meet the specific needs of every facial implant patient. Advanced Techniques In the past twenty-five years or more of working with facial implants, doctors have learned better and better methods for dealing with facial implants. They have learned when to utilize harder implants, and when to utilize softer ones, when to place the implants along the jawline, and when to place them in the chin, when to place them on the top surfaces of the cheekbone and when to place them on the lower surfaces. Cosmetic surgeons have also learned how to combine facial implants with other cosmetic surgery procedures, such as rhinoplasty or a facelift to achieve the best possible results. The goal is to create a harmonic appearance to your face, and often facial implants play a vital role in fulfilling that goal. Read also artilcle cheap esomeprazole