The first topic of discussion is not new, but it is one that just gets a more elaborate name as it gets more and more popular. You have heard it before… The Filler Facelift, The Non-Surgical Face Lift, and now as coined by the September issue of Bazaar Magazine, The Liquid Facelift. These are just fancy names for facial filling which has been done for years. What is novel are the numerous options that are now available in this country to accomplish a dramatic end result. In addition, the experts in my profession are realizing more and more how valuable volume replacement of the face is to maintain a youthful look. However, is it new? Not quite. Fat transplantation has been used for literally decades to accomplish this task. The problem with fat is that the procedure is often unpredictable in its aesthetic result and how long it lasts. In addition, the procedure requires removing, storing, and injecting your own fat thus being quite traumatic, costly, and laborious with several rounds of treatment. I have performed this procedure for many years and although it is still quite valuable in some areas like the hands and traumatic scars, I find that the available fillers on the market now are more predictable, cost effective, quicker, and safer.

So, why volume enhancement? Well, the ageing face isn’t just about loose skin which is why patients of the past that had facelifts got that thinned out hollow look pleasantly coined the ‘wind tunnel’. It appears that in addition to losing the quality and quantity of collagen and elastic tissue in the skin that leads to sagging, we also redistribute fat volume in the face that dramatically deflates and alters the shape of our face. Now, I am not suggesting to fill up all ageing faces like they where stuffed with pillows, but just enough to restore the curves and angles as they were 10-15 years earlier. The extra in the procedure is that when you increase the volume of the face, patients also see many of their wrinkles improve as well. It’s like filling a deflated balloon that has wrinkles in the plastic; wrinkles just vanish upon filling. Unfortunately, there are some terrible examples on the streets and in the media of bad work. Realize that everyone only notices the bad work, not the good. And this is a topic that I will address repeatedly throughout my blog. There is an art form to all procedures of cosmetic enhancement despite how simple it may seem. This is why it is delegated to medical professionals and not mechanics. That being said, despite my intense love of cars, I can’t make heads or tails out of an engine. So, I will stick to what my expertise is. Who should be performing these procedures? This is a whole other blog installment. The long and short of it is that these procedures are great, but one should always seek out a physician that is board certified in one of the cosmetic specialties and make sure that they have vast experience in whatever procedure you seek to have done.

Ok, back to Filler Facelifts. Now that we have several options of fillers, our ability to sculpt is dramatically enhanced. There is no best filler and most of them are substances found naturally in our body. They are each made of different substances, have different longevity in the skin, cost, and have different degrees of molding and reversibility. I use approximately 8 different fillers in my practice on a regular basis and they each play different roles. After consulting with a patient, we decide which is the best option based on safety, efficacy, cost, age, quality of skin, and psychological goals. Be wary of any doctor that only uses 1-2 filler types. If you only use a hammer, everything will look like a nail.

Although I have favorites, I like keeping a full toolbox for the variety of jobs I do. So, what is the procedure like to get? Does it hurt and what’s the cost? That’s what people always want me to get to the point about. Well, the Filler Facelift is performed after about 15 minutes of topical anesthesia…the good stuff, not EMLA. Many of the fillers used can be mixed with injectable anesthesia as well which dramatically reduces pain and bruising. On rare occasions, a patient will take a valium like pill to ease their nerves. Soup to nuts, patients are in the office for about an hour. The injections take about 15 minutes with no aftercare other than ice. Makeup can be applied immediately and 90 percent of patients return to work the next day, but no weddings or major events for a week as it does take a little time for everything to settle to perfection. As for cost, this varies widely depending on the fillers used and the amounts needed. I will say that patients do spend anywhere from $1,000- $5,000 per year to maintain it perfectly. This is costly, but when compared to the invasiveness and cost of a surgical facelift, it is quite a bargain. In minutes, 1-2 decades can be taken from the hands of time safely and in a natural looking way. Beat that! This is why the procedure remains one of the most popular aesthetic enhancements in my practice. To see me perform a live Filler Facelift, check out my video and peruse the several qualities of fillers on my website. Have fun!

Welcome to the first volume of the PFrankMD Beauty Check-In blog, addressing all the non- invasive tricks to look and feel your best. Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank. I am a board certified cosmetic dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon in New York City (for those that want to check out the credentials, check out my CV here). The purpose of this blog is to answer all of the phone calls, emails, texts, and letters I receive daily asking about the latest magic weapons in anti-aging that are ‘advertised’ throughout the media. So, each week I will address topics that are flooding the airway or just some other rant relating to my field. Whether it’s a new laser or some store bought elixir, I usually have something to say about it…so I will.

As with most things, opinions are merely opinions and they are susceptible to change. What I have found is that there is no best cream, no best procedure, or best outlook…only one that is best for an individual. I practice medicine based on my experience, my skills, and my judgment. Although I am a physician with strong convictions, I will admit that my thoughts about the rapidly evolving world of beauty do alter. Products and procedures develop and styles change. So realize that this blog is relevant to my thoughts at the time it is written. If my thoughts and reality never changed, life would be no fun anyway. So now that I’ve got the disclosure part out of the way, I think it’s time to get started. Since there are so many new things happening in my field, I send to my patients and readers seasonal e-newsletters with my latest offerings. If anyone would like to be put on the mailing list or peruse the information on any particular procedure, feel free signup for my free newsletter here or browse my website at pfrankmd.com.