Sacramento California. One of the exciting advancements in the past decade has been the realization that as we age our face looses volume in specific areas. The cheeks, below eyes and in the temporal hollow just lateral to the eye towards the hair line are three examples of these deflationary areas. The lateral temporal hollow thins as we age and occasionally after facelifts or brow lifts. When thinning of the lateral forehead occurs the skin droops down and the lateral brow drops towards lateral eye – crowding this area. For years we have been successfully using Botox or other chemonueromodulators such as Dysport to relax muscles around the eye to let the brow elevate and smooth the crows feet– however this does not address the ultimate reason for the extra skin. In the past we also tightened the skin as well. Removing the excess created by the deflation of the lateral temporal hollow. Endoscopic brow lifts work well however may not be right for some. We have also found that there is a limit to how many facelifts or browlifts one can have before over tightening the skin and creating an altered look. Fillers such as structural fat grafting have allowed us to maintain a more natural volumized look. We have found that Juvederm or Restylane tend to work well to fill the temporal hollow and lift the lateral brow and shape the forehead. It is a softer look that has made many patients very happy.
Before Filler to the Lateral Temporal Holllow
After Filler (Sculptra) to the Lateral Brow - Non surgical brow lift
Risks of the injection are similar to other areas of the face including bruising and swelling as well as pain to list a few. This is also an off label FDA usage of the products as they are approved for use in the folds of the face such as the nasolabial fold around the mouth. Other products such as Sculptra and Radiesse also work however these are more permanent and difficult to adjust after placement. Structural fat grafting is also an option and is a more permanent solution. All of these options exist so that you and your plastic surgeon can create a designer plan to fulfill your individual goals. Facial cosmetic surgery is a very exciting field of medicine currently with many new ideas and options to assist you in continuing to look your very best.
