Top Non-Invasive Cosmetic Procedures – Dr. Goldenberg on Certified Fabulous

There has been a revolution, of sorts, in non-invasive surgical procedures in the past decade. Patients no longer require to “go under the knife” to look younger and better. Due to this fact, more men and women are able to enjoy the benefits of cosmetic “surgery” without the surgery part.

Wrinkle relaxing agents:

Botox is by far the most common cosmetic procedure performed in the world. Dysport and Xeomin, 2 other products that are used for the same purpose, are also available. These procedures relax the muscles that cause wrinkles, giving the skin a smooth, wrinkle-free appearance. The ideal locations for these products are the glabella (area between your eyebrows), forehead, crows feet (wrinkles around your eyes), neck, and décolleté area.

Hyaluronic acid fillers:

Four hyaluronic acid fillers are used most commonly: Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm, and Belotero. Hyaluronic acid is found naturally in the body and provides volume and fullness to the skin. Injectable hyaluronic acid fillers simply replace the hyaluronic acid we lose over time. The duration of effect from the hyaluronic acid fillers ranges from six months to one year in most cases. These products also stimulate the body to make collagen over time, producing some longer lasting effect. These products are ideal for the lines around the mouth and nose (nasolabial and marionette lines), lips, cheeks, under eyes, chin and deep wrinkles of the forehead. These products are very safe and have been used in millions of patients.

Deep fillers:

Sculptra and Radiesse are the two most commonly used deep fillers. Sculptra is actually not a filler at all – it works by stimulating your body to produce natural collagen in your skin. Sculptra is composed of poly-L-lactic acid, which works to restore the collagen we lose as we age by stimulating colloagen production over time. The beauty of sculptra is that the changes in your appearance, while dramatic, occur over time and no one will know you had “work done.” They will just think you look great! Patients generally require 2-3 rounds of injections and the results last well over a year. Sculptra is ideal for volume replacement in the cheeks, temples, and areas around the mouth and chin. Radiesse is a more traditional filler, composed of calcium-based microspheres suspended in a water-based gel that will restore facial volume when injected into the skin. Radiesse is commonly used to replace the volume of the face. My personal favorite use of restylane is to replace the volume in the back of the hands.

Liquid facelift/Facial Contouring:

The combination of wrinkle relaxing agent, hyaluronic acid fillers and deep fillers, has been called “liquid facelift with facial contouring.” This is a non-invasive alternative to a surgical facelift. The goal of the procedure is to reduce appearance of wrinkles and lines, restore natural and more youthful facial contours, achieve a rested and less tired look, and to improve overall appearance.

As we age, our face loses what’s known as the fat pad. This loss produces sunken in or flat cheeks, hallows under eyes and in the temple area, jowls and deep wrinkles and lines, making one look tired and older. The goal of the liquid facelift is to restore a more youthful, natural facial contour by lifting jowls, restoring flattened and sunken in cheeks and temple areas, and lifting corners of mouth. The procedure can also help with reshaping and revolumizing of lips and the lines around the mouth, known as smoker’s lines. This is often combined with dysport and botox, as well facial peels and laser resurfacing. The procedure is done over time, allowing the patient to have a soft change, as opposed to a dramatic change with a surgical facelift. This allows more discretion that a procedure in which the patient must go under the knife.