Non-Surgical Procedures

There are non-surgical techniques and methods to help correct contour and skin deformities. Botox and hyaluronic acid based fillers are two of the primary ones utilized. Botox is a toxin that acts to paralyze the muscles that are injected with the product. It is utilized to correct wrinkles and folds that are created as the result of muscular motion and function. Examples of conditions treated with Botox include the glabella creases just above the nose, forehead wrinkles, and peri-ocular wrinkles also known as crow’s feet or laugh lines. Botox has other medical indications such as the treatment of excess sweating, treatment of migraine headaches, muscle spasm such as writer’s cramp, and Reynaud’s disease. Fillers are used for static wrinkles and folds such as the naso-labial creases and marionette lines that are the result of gravity and loss of skin elasticity. These are creases unrelated to muscle function, and therefore Botox is not effective, and they need to be corrected by filling the crease with volume. An alternative method for volume expansion is fat grafting which is a procedure performed in the operating room using your own fat as the filling agent.

About the Procedure

Both Botox and fillers such as Restylane and Juvederm are injected in the office setting and do not require any type of anesthetic. The results of filler agents last from 6 to 12 months. Results from Botox take 5 to 7 days to take effect and last from 6 to 8 months. Fat grafting is permanent but often has some reabsorption resulting in up to 20 to 30 percent volume loss. Pricing for these procedures varies based on the volume or amount of the product required.

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