Fern Pattern Technique of Injecting Restylane

It is a tough market out there.  Doctors find it essential to repackage what they are doing with new procedural names to help distinguish what they do from others and better communicate to potential patients.  There is nothing new about a doctor giving a name to their particular way of doing something.  Of course it can create some confusion because the public may think that it is a service that no other physician is offering.  The so-called "Fern Pattern Technique" is one such example of this.  The physician who coined this expression uses the term to describe high dermal placement of hyaluronic acid filler in the skin to "stiffen' the skin as a means of soften fine skin lines.  This may sound like a great approach and it is.  However, it is not a novel approach, in fact this is precisely one of the ways the FDA understood that these products would be used for cosmetic purposes when it issued approval for the cosmetic use of Restylane and Juvederm.  Any experienced injector uses the "Fern Pattern Technique," but very few doctors know this method by this name.  In requesting service, my advice is tell the doctor what you are looking for and let them worry about how they accomplish your treatment.

As all panel members seem to suggest, techniques are many and will vary based upon patient's goal, injection site, product being used, depth of placement, etc. 

What is most important is that your practitioner individualizes your treatment plan, keeps you involved in the proces, outlines options, and delivers a satisfying outcome.

 

 

 

Linear, serial, retrograde, anterograde, lattice...are all techniques used for injecting Restylane, Juvederm, Radiesse, and other fillers.  NOt all techniqes work in all patients.  Sometimes injections of the tissues to the side of the crease help support the skin and there is less drop of the skin down creating less of a fold.  This is seen when the mid cheek is volumized and the smile fold becomes less obvious.  If you inject to the side of the fold with the fern technique it may help support the line but you wouldn't want to inject the other side towards the lip as that would magnify the impression of the crease.  What is important is that the phsician has an artistic eye, a gentle delivery and an understanding of physics and architecture.