On the subject of facial rejuvenation, fillers and facelifts dominate the dialog. Each strategies supply distinctive advantages, however they’re removed from interchangeable.
As highlighted in Episode S05E98 of Three Plastic Surgeons and a Microphone, that includes Dr. Sam Jejurikar, Dr. Sam Rhee, Dr. Lawrence Tong, and Dr. Salvatore Pacella, understanding the nuances between these procedures is essential for sufferers looking for essentially the most pure, efficient outcomes.
“Fillers are awesome, facelifts are awesome, but fillers and facelifts may not always be so awesome,” Dr. Sam Rhee said on the episode’s opening, encapsulating the complexity of choosing the proper process. Fillers are perfect for youthful sufferers with minor quantity loss and good pores and skin elasticity, usually offering fast, non-invasive enhancements. Facelifts, nonetheless, handle deeper structural points like sagging pores and skin, making them a greater match for people with superior growing older indicators.
Dr. Lawrence Tong provided a essential distinction: “If you need a facelift, meaning something is sagging on your face, then you’re going to generally need surgery. Fillers mostly just volumeize.” The misunderstanding that fillers can replicate the lifting results of a facelift usually leads sufferers astray, leading to less-than-optimal outcomes. For older sufferers with important pores and skin harm or sagging, investing in surgical procedure is commonly the more practical, long-term answer.
Challenges in Overusing Fillers
Whereas fillers have revolutionized the aesthetics business, their overuse has created unexpected problems. Injectors with out specialised coaching usually rely too closely on fillers, typically distorting a affected person’s pure facial anatomy. “Many providers are not that honest,” warned Dr. Salvatore Pacella. “They’ll just pump patients up with fillers, even when they know it’s not going to help.”
Overuse may end up in lumpy, uneven areas and even everlasting scarring within the smooth tissue. In accordance with a examine printed within the Aesthetic Surgical procedure Journal Open Discussion board, 52% of surgeons reported issue performing facelifts on sufferers with a historical past of intensive filler use. “We’ve all had patients who come in looking like youthful aliens,” remarked Dr. Jejurikar. “They may look youthful, but they don’t look human.”
The challenges lengthen past aesthetics. Scar tissue from extreme fillers could make future surgical procedures, resembling facelifts, considerably extra complicated. Dr. Jejurikar shared a vivid instance: “I’ve done facelifts on patients and seen soft tissue filler spilling out like toothpaste. It’s quite gross and illustrates how much distortion fillers can cause.”
To mitigate these dangers, the podcast consultants emphasised moderation. A restricted quantity of filler can successfully handle particular areas like marionette strains, lips, or temples with out overwhelming the face’s pure contours. Nonetheless, as Dr. Jejurikar identified, many injectors lack the coaching to grasp when to cease. “If your only tool is filler, you’ll use it for everything, even when it’s not appropriate,” he stated.
Facelift Issues: Timing, Approach, and Options
For sufferers whose aesthetic targets transcend what fillers can obtain, facelifts present a extra complete answer. A facelift not solely removes extra pores and skin but additionally tightens the underlying facial buildings, restoring a youthful look. Nonetheless, for sufferers who’ve beforehand relied closely on fillers, the trail to surgical procedure may be fraught with challenges.
“Scar tissue from fillers often complicates facelifts,” famous Dr. Sam Jejurikar. “It distorts the soft tissue and creates additional hurdles for surgeons.” Getting ready for surgical procedure might contain dissolving filler utilizing enzymes like hyaluronidase, however even this course of shouldn’t be with out problems. As Dr. Lawrence Tong defined, “Hyaluronidase doesn’t always work because filler is placed in so many layers, and some of it may be encapsulated by scar tissue.”
An alternative choice to fillers for quantity restoration is fats switch, a process that makes use of a affected person’s personal fats to reinforce facial contours. “The beauty of fat augmentation is that it’s organic and predictable when done correctly,” stated Dr. Pacella. Nonetheless, fats switch requires extra downtime in comparison with fillers and entails a surgical element, making it a much less interesting choice for sufferers looking for a fast repair.
Dr. Rhee added that fats switch is very efficient when carried out alongside facelifts. “I almost never do a facelift without including some fat transfer. It enhances the overall results and provides a more natural look.” For sufferers contemplating a facelift, the surgeons emphasised the significance of addressing each structural and volumetric issues to attain a balanced, youthful consequence.
Discovering the Proper Supplier: What Sufferers Have to Know
Choosing the proper practitioner is essential, whether or not for fillers or surgical procedures. Sufferers should make sure that their injector or surgeon shouldn’t be solely certified but additionally aligned with their aesthetic targets. “If you walk into a practice and see that the staff or injector themselves look unnatural, that’s a red flag,” warned Dr. Tong. “If you don’t like how they look, why would you trust them with your face?”
Dr. Jejurikar echoed this sentiment, urging sufferers to decide on suppliers who prioritize a pure look over extreme enhancements. “Ultimately, we’re trying to restore what has been lost, not create a distorted or fake look,” he defined. Sufferers must also be cautious of injectors who lack the power to refer them to surgeons for extra superior therapies. As Dr. Rhee identified, “If your injector has no affiliation with a surgeon, it’s a sign they might be over-relying on fillers to solve problems that require surgery.”
When deciding between fillers and a facelift, session with a board-certified plastic surgeon is invaluable. Surgeons can assess a affected person’s facial construction, pores and skin high quality, and growing older issues to advocate essentially the most acceptable plan of action. “Each patient is unique,” Dr. Jejurikar emphasised. “It’s not about fillers versus facelifts—it’s about finding the right solution for the individual.”
Wrapping It Up
The interaction between fillers and facelifts is complicated, and the choice to pursue one over the opposite is determined by components like age, pores and skin high quality, and private targets. Whereas fillers supply a fast and non-invasive choice for youthful sufferers, they’ll solely go up to now. For sufferers experiencing important sagging or structural issues, a facelift stays the gold customary.
The important thing takeaway from Three Plastic Surgeons and a Microphone is the significance of steadiness and experience. Whether or not contemplating fillers or a facelift, sufferers should search suppliers who prioritize pure, customized outcomes. As Dr. Jejurikar aptly put it, “We’re not just improving appearances—we’re restoring confidence, one face at a time.”
