Assessing the face for filler use

Richard G. Glogau, M.D., clinical professor of dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, spoke about the best way to obtain satisfactory outcomes in soft tissue augmentation, yesterday. He said matching defects to appropriate materials and balancing patient expectations and economics along the way are key.

In the aging face, loss of subcutaneous fat in the lips, perioral skin, chin, malar cheeks, temples, brow and forehead present numerous opportunities for correction with injectable fillers. Dr. Glogau said it is important to look at the face and distinguish lines and creases that are present because of repetitive movement from those that are present because of loss of subcutaneous tissue volume.

If loss of tissue is the cause, botulinum toxin treatment or surgical redraping is necessary to effect improvement, he said. If repetitive movement is the culprit, fillers are the ideal choice, he added.

He also cautioned against applications of techniques that do not adequately address volume changes.