THE LIQUID FACELIFT

I've been reading about this more and more and am somewhat perplexed – annoyed because I feel, as a Fort Myers Florida plastic surgeon, it is not a sensible alternative to a traditional face lift.

A liquid facelift is, yes, non-surgical and that has a certain amount of appeal to some patients. It is the injection of a variety of fillers into areas of the face that need building up or augmentation. I have seen patients who have spent thousands of dollars for a temporary “I’m a youthful Hollywood star” look.

The reality is it is oh-so-fleeting.

Injecting fillers is easy to do, but results can be disappointing because a patient's body may “absorb” or metabolize the filler in a matter of months. I’ve had patients tell me they got an injection on a certain date and in a month or so it was gone.

It’s no one's fault, but to spend thousands of dollars with no long term benefits really does not make much sense. I think a good alternative would be to do injections of one's own fat/stem cells with platelet rich plasma. This is the patients own tissue and in the long term less expensive.

Always remember, if you have loose skin you can’t shrink wrap it away. It needs to be surgically removed.

In the end I guess you need to be prudent in your choices and weigh all the benefits/consequences especially the economic ones.