FDA Approves Sculptra Injectable for Cheek Wrinkles

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April approved Sculptra, an injectable poly-L-lactic acid, for the correction of cheek wrinkles.

 

A popular dermal filler, Sculptra was first approved in 2004 and has long been used for facial rejuvenation, focusing primarily on restoring lost volume and combating sagging skin. According to Dr. Hamori, the recent FDA approval for the correction of cheek wrinkles, "reinforces Sculptra's relevance, effectiveness and safety in the aesthetic injectable toolkit.” Dr. Hamori has long used Sculptra to treat deep folds between the nose and mouth (or smile line), marionette lines and chin wrinkles.

To learn if Sculptra for cheek wrinkles is right for you, consult with either Dr. Hamori or Dr. DiEdwardo, both designated as ExpertInjectors for their training and experience in cosmetic injectables. 

Christine Hamori Cosmetic Surgery + Skin Spa
113 Tremont Street, Duxbury, Massachusetts, 02332
Call us: 781-934-2200
Serving Boston's South Shore, Cape Cod and Nantucket

Botox: How To Get the Most from Your Treatment

Don't trust just anyone with your face. While you may receive offers for discount pricing on Botox® from family doctors, dentists and nurses — the lowest cost should not be the biggest factor in determining whom you trust with your Botox injections.

In this video from the Plastic Surgery Channel, Dr. Hamori who is a board certified plastic surgeon with the designation of Expert Injector, explains how she puts her experience of more than 16 years and her knowledge of facial anatomy to work for every patient when she performs a "dynamic assessment."

"I ask them to move their brows, I ask them what shape of brow they like. Do the lines bother them between their eyes? Do their forehead lines bother them? Are they bothered by their crow’s feet?”

Watch the video to learn more.
  Dr. Hamori does all facial injectables herself in her offices in Duxbury, MA. Check out the array of facial fillers and injectables and how they are used. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Hamori, please call the office at 781-924-2200.

Christine Hamori Cosmetic Surgery + Skin Spa
113 Tremont Street, Duxbury, Massachusetts, 02332
Tel. 781-934-2200
Serving Boston's South Shore, Cape Cod and Nantucket

Cosmetic Surgery's Busiest Season for Facial Injectables

Tis the season to beautify! I too have noticed a trend over the past few years that the Holidays are increasingly a more popular time for facial injectables, and facelifts. As suggested in this WSJ article, Happy New Year: The Busiest Season for Cosmetic Surgery, plastic surgeons and dermatologists notice an uptick in cosmetic requests this time of year. Facial injectables with Restylane, Perlane, Botox, Juvederm, Radiesse and Sculptra are up nearly 30% this month as compared to last year. Especially combinations of fillers or liquid lifts. See article. Due to some bruising and swelling frequently associated with these facial procedures, patients choose the week between Christmas and New Years to hide out and recover.

The Good News on Sculptra

Since it was approved by the FDA last July, Sculptra has been gaining popularity to become one of my most frequent treatments. In the right hands, Sculptra® Aesthetic is a truly breakthrough product. It allows me to truly "sculpt" the face and add volume to the chin, cheeks and temples — achieving facial balance and restoring a youthful look in a way that is much more subtle and longer lasting than what has been possible with other traditional fillers.

Patients, both men and women, in their 40s and 50s who have lost some facial fullness resulting in marionette lines and other facial sagging and creasing, have been extremely pleased with Sculptra's effect.

Sculptra induces natural collagen growth slowly over time, and it lasts for up to 2 years and more. Because results develop slowly others don't notice a sudden change in your appearance. As I've mentioned on this blog before, I had the treatment 2 years ago (see my before and after photos). About 3 to 4 months into the treatment, patient's have reported receiving complements such as "your skin looks great...what have you been doing?" In addition to added volume, the texture of the skin is improved due to increase collagen production in the dermis, or deep skin layer. Solar elastosis, or sun creases, are also dramatically improved with this product.

Please note: Important facts about the safety and risks of injectabe fillers from ASPS.

For more information, please see my web site page on Sculptra and view the video below.



Links to safety and prescribing info.

Dysport™ Is Here: Competitor to Botox® Now Available

I'm pleased to announce that I am now offering Dysport™ from Medicis (makers of Restylane and Perlane), which is a "botulinum toxin" similar to Botox®. Dysport has been approved by the FDA for the aesthetic indication (glabellar lines) — for the temporary improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe glabellar lines in adults younger than 65 years of age. The active substance in Dysport is a botulinum neurotoxin type A complex. Now I can discuss more options with my patients for treatment of wrinkles and frown lines.

Stay tuned for more information on this new injectable. In the meantime, please see the press release: Medicis Begins Shipping Dysport(TM) for Glabellar Lines.

See related post: Enter Dysport: Here Come the Botox Competitors.

Save on Restylane, Perlane, Juvéderm for Limited Time

Now through July 31st, Dr. Hamori is offering a special offer on select injectables. This "Buy One, Get One Free" special applies as follows.


Purchase one syringe of Restylane® or Perlane® and get one syringe free of equal or lesser value.


Purchase one syringe of Juvederm and get one syringe of Juvederm free.

To take advantage of this special offer, please call the Duxbury office to schedule your appointment at (781) 934-2200.

Now Offering New Facial Filler Prevelle

Dr. Hamori is pleased to now offer a new facial filler, at her Duxbury, MA plastic surgery + skin spa practice. Prevelle is another hyaluronic acid (HA) gel, that is injected just under the skin’s surface to temporarily fill wrinkles for a more youthful appearance. "It is similar to Restylane or Juvederm," according to Dr. Hamori. Prevelle's advantage over other injectables is that it contains Lidocaine, a local anesthetic, which reduces the pain of injection.

Dr. Hamori has a wide assortment of injectibles for use in treating wrinkles and folds such as frown lines, forehead lines, periorbital lines (more commonly known as "crow's feet"), smile lines, oral commissures (marionette lines) and vertical lip lines.

For a listing of facial fillers and injectibles offered by Dr. Hamori, see her web site at: www.christinehamori.com.

Considering Injectables? Facial Fillers? Know the Facts.

If you're considering cosmetic injectables, also referred to as facial fillers, do your homework. In fact, we'll help you do it right here, right now. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery has announced new guidelines for consumers seeking cosmetic enhancements through injectable treatments as part of an initiative to counter the alarming rise in reports of unqualified persons performing medical procedures.

The ASAPS recommends the following guidelines for those seeking cosmetic injectable treatments:

• Don’t choose a provider based on price. Injectables are pharmaceutical products and must be administered by trained, qualified clinicians.
  
  
• Make sure the benefits and risks are fully explained to you in a patient consultation. Plastic surgeons use the consultation process to educate patients about the proposed procedure. Every procedure has inherent risks and benefits; the hallmark of informed consent is the understanding of risks and benefits, and realistic expectations.
  
  
• Fully disclose any medical conditions you might have, and medications you are taking including vitamins and over-the-counter drugs. This information will help your clinician select the most effective procedure for you, with the fewest side-effects.
  
  
• Any injectable should be administered in an appropriate setting using sterile instruments. A non-physician who is appropriately licensed and trained may perform the injections under the supervision of a qualified plastic surgeon or dermatologist. Malls and private homes are not medical environments and may be unsanitary.
  
  
• Know what you are being injected with. Disturbing reports of patients being injected with everything from liquid silicone to baby oil and other unapproved products are appearing in the press on a regular basis. Make sure your clinician is using only FDA-approved products purchased within the United States. If he or she refuses to give you this information, seek another clinician.

For a useful up-to-date chart with side-by-side comparisons of the most common injectables, click here. Also, see the web site www.injectablesafety.org.

This will help you have an informed conversation with Dr. Hamori, who can recommend and explain injectibles in more detail. For more information, please see Dr. Hamori's web site at www.christinehamori.com.

Restylane lasts longer and longer

Exciting news in the WSJ today....Restylane, a hyaluronic acid soft tissue filler FDA approved for wrinkle correction of naso labial folds was found in a small study, 11 patients, to increase collagen production! I have noticed that in some patients Restylane has lasted longer and longer with each treatment. It will be interesting to see if Juvederm, Allergan's new hylanuronic filler, will do the same.

My patients love the quick results with fillers such as Restylane and Juvederm, especially when they are combined with Botox. I have noticed less and less requests for mini-facelifts and more and more for fillers. Radiesse another newly approved filler lasts a bit longer than the hyaluronic acids and is quite popular in the lower face. It will be interesting to see if it too, like Restylane, helps build up collagen lost due to aging and UV damage.