A number of 'soft tissue fillers' are available for temporarily improving facial areas that have lost volume or have developed deep lines and creases. Probably the most popular fillers currently are hyaluronic acid products like Restylane, Perlane or Juvederm Plus or Juvederm Ultra Plus, which can be used to plump up thin lips and to fill out nasolabial folds (lines that run from beside the nostrils to the area beside the corners of the mouth) and marionette lines (lines that run from the corners of the mouth towards the jawline). The improvement generally six months to as long as one year. In my Raleigh, North Carolina plastic surgery practice in recently started using Prevelle Silk, another hyaluronic acid product containing lidocaine. Perevelle Silk lasts only about 2-3 months but there is no down time with this filler and the price is inder $300 for a 1cc of material.
A "liquid facelift" is a procedure that is performed using temporary dermal fillers like Juvederm Restylane or Perlane. There is little to no downtime with a liquid facelift. This might be an ideal treatment for some, but the results are temporary and it does not address excess skin
Some synthetic materials are available which can be used in an attempt to produce a permanent soft tissue augmentation. Unfortunately, the body treats such materials as foreign objects, and as a result the placement of synthetic materials may lead to inflammation, infection, migration and granuloma formation. In general, synthetic materials are less likely to produce a result that looks and feels natural.
For patients seeking permanent enhancement of soft tissue volume, the ideal material to use would obviously be something that is naturally-occurring and not rejected by the body or treated by the immune system as a foreign material. Whether the goal is to restore volume to an area such as the lips or the cheeks, or to fill in a crease or depression such as the nasolabial folds or marionette lines, the ideal material is quite clearly the material that one wishes was there in greater abundance in the first place: YOUR OWN FAT.
A relatively new technique has been developed called structural fat grafting, in which small amounts (less than 0.1 cc at a time) of fat are carefully microinjected in a series of discrete layers to gradually 'build' new soft tissue structure. As there is space between each microinjection, new blood vessels are able to grow into the grafted fat, allowing it to persist. If this process of blood vessel ingrowth (neovascularization) does not occur, then the injected tissue cannot truly be considered a 'graft' and is instead just another 'soft tissue filler' of limited duration.
This is a procedure that requires specialized training and specialized surgical instruments, as well as patience and attention to detail on the part of the surgeon. When performed properly, permanent improvements in facial plastic surgery are possible. If enough fat resorption occurs following a fat grafting procedure such that the desired result is not achieved, a second 'touch-up' procedure can easily be performed to augment the result obtained from the first injection.
