As we age, our appearance in the mirror seems to droop. Laxity of the skin and loss of underlying facial structure components such as bone and fat are the culprits. We asked an expert cosmetic physician, Nicole Norris, MD of Nicole Norris MD Medical Spa, to answer some of our questions about the best non-surgical options when we start to notice falling of the face and neck in the mirror.
What do you tell patients when they come in with concerns of sagging skin? “This is an extremely common concern among women and men when they come into my office seeking rejuvenation. The loss of skin thickness and or sagging of the skin starts at age 25 and is evident by age 40. After age 40, loss of skin collagen is about 1 teaspoon per year and is accelerated by smoking, sugar, and ultraviolet rays. When I assess a patient’s face or neck, I look at the health of the skin, and then the placement of underlying components such as bone and natural fat pads. The ideal shape of the female face is heart-shaped with the fullest and widest part being the cheeks and narrower at the chin and jaw. When our face ages it becomes square with the middle of the face and lower face being close to the same width. I tell patient’s that I have many tools in my toolbox to restore this ratio and depending on the severity, it usually takes several tools to correct it.”
Tell us about the “tools in your toolbox” that you recommend and what they do? “There are three components to face and neck rejuvenation: Lifting, Filling and Skin Rejuvenation. For lifting, when patient’s do not want a surgical face lift, I recommend a PDO thread lift. For filling, I talk to them about dermal fillers which are man-made syringes of collagen that are injected into areas of the face that need filling. Skin rejuvenation is probably the most important thing that we talk about and correction is dependent on the quality of their skin. The healthier and nicer the skin looks, the better results they will get with lifting and filling. Skin rejuvenation can be achieved with topical products, but sometimes also requires chemical peels, microneedling and laser resurfacing procedures.”
If a patient has the beginning of jowling in the lower face or mild to moderate skin sagging in the neck, what would you suggest? “PDO threads would be my answer! PDO stands for polydioxanone and is a synthetic absorbable surgical suture proven to be one of the safest materials implanted in the body. PDO threads have been used in cardiac surgery for years and used in the face cosmetically for the last 10 years. The sutures are place under the skin on a preloaded cannula which is like a tiny straw. Part of the thread is left outside the skin when the cannula is removed. That thread can be pulled on to lift the skin in the trajectory that lifts the fallen tissue the best. The suture will breakdown over a few months, but the lift will remain a year or more. The lift lasts even longer with healthier rejuvenated skin. Besides lifting, the polydioxanone stimulates neocollagenesis in the skin. This means that there is improvement in the skin texture and fewer wrinkles in the overlying skin where the threads are placed. Now that is a side-effect my patients like! This procedure is done in the office with local anesthesia and has little if any downtime. There can be risk of bruising and some swelling but otherwise there is very little risk to the procedure. A PDO thread lift in the upper face, lower face or neck is ideal, when you are not quite ready for a surgical face lift.”
If you are wondering if a PDO thread lift, would be right for you, Nicole Norris MD Medical Spa is offering complimentary PDO thread lift consultations in September as well as special pricing on the procedure if you watch Dr. Norris’ PDO thread webinar! Your PDO thread lift facial rejuvenation consultation will require a $99 deposit that will go towards the procedure that you and Dr. Norris determine is best for you. Call 815-780-8264 to schedule yours and learn more about the webinar Dr. Norris is broadcasting about PDO thread lifts in September.
65:- your six burning questions about cosmetic filler answered
As we are coming out of quarantine and re-emerging into work and social activities, there has been an uptick in business at medical spas. We asked Dr. Norris at Nicole Norris MD Medical Spa what she has seen at her local office in Peru and then got more answers for you on the hottest procedure she is doing now.
What is your most popular cosmetic procedure right now? “After a self-care hiatus, there is a huge surge in all areas of the beauty industry. It is so important to our mental health to do things for ourselves that improve appearance. At my office, our most popular procedures right now are Facials, Botox and, especially, Fillers. I have been doing a higher percentage of fillers than ever because of patients not having any concern about post-procedure bruising or swelling, stating that ‘my mask will cover it!’. “
What is the difference between Botox and Filler? “As a rough rule of thumb, Botox treats expression lines above the eyes and dermal fillers replace areas of collagen loss and fills lines in the mid and lower face.”
What area of the face do you specifically put filler to rejuvenate the face? “ The most common areas of the face that I inject filler are along the cheek bones to restore the youthful heart shape of the face, in the corners of the mouth where collagen loss often makes patients look like they are frowning when they are not, in lines around the mouth, in the lips to restore fullness, along the jaw line to make the jaw more defined, and under the eye to make patients less hollow.”
How long does filler last once it is injected? “Most fillers last about 1 year depending on where they are placed under the skin. I also inject a 10-year filler that is best for patients who have had filler before, love the results, but don’t like coming in for the procedure every year.”
Does it hurt to have filler? “It really depends on the technique of the person injecting it. At my office we have a plethora of ways to make filler as painless as possible. I have had patients come in for filler who have had filler at other places tell me that they have never had such a painless filler experience.”
Why do some people look so overdone with filler? “I have never met a patient who ‘wanted’ to look overdone. I think what happens is that they do too much filler at one time and they look very different suddenly. Most patient’s in my office rejuvenate their face gradually over time and I never do more than 5 syringes in one visit. Gradual youthful improvements are hard for others to pinpoint why you look so good!”
Why do you think so many patients are coming to you for filler now? Like I mentioned before, people with normal mental health care how they appear and want to look their best. The last few months have been very stressful and we have not been able to be social. Now we have at least have hope for social activities and patients want to feel good, so they are seeking self-improvement services. I think filler in particular is popular because there is always a small risk of bruising and a little swelling for a week or 2 after the procedure. Right now if that does occur, no one will see it because we are all still wearing masks in public!”
If you are interested in learning more about filler and would like a filler consultation with Dr. Norris, you should call 815-780-8264 for your appointment today. New Patients will receive a complimentary consultation (reg. $100) only for the month of July and you can check our July Hot Filler Specials at NicoleNorrisMD.com.
