Facial Wasting

There is a condition of facial wasting that I would like to dedicate this section to. It occurs in patients on antiviral medications and can be very dramatic. I see many of these patients and am very sympathetic to their extreme distress and desire to have the fullness of youth restored to the face. I can help you with this.

Features are typically sunken cheeks, very prominent cheek bones not concealed by the usual fat layer, hollowness, and sunken temples. This condition commonly accompanies patients on antiviral drugs for HIV. It is also known as lipodystrophy. The anatomy is basically loss of the subcutaneous fat layer that lies directly below the skin and above the muscles. It can also relate to the degree of looseness of the skin and your underlying bony foundations, so that there are many different anatomic features here that must be analyzed and addressed prior to your surgery. I will coordinate the features of your anatomy with your expectations, formulate a plan with you, and guide you through this. There are several techniques to address this including but not limited to custom implants, fat grafting, facial fillers and face-lifting. I will explain and illustrate all of these to you. In most patients with facial wasting cheek implants are the best or first solution, later coupled with injectables to “fill in the edges”. I have expertise in cheek implants specifically for facial wasting and have performed many of these operations with very natural results. Surgery involves a light general anesthetic, performed where I do surgery, which is in a hospital setting. There is a small 1.5” incision inside the mouth through which the implant is inserted. The surgery is safe and predictable. There is a mild to moderate degree of swelling after surgery. All the stitches are small and removed in 4-7 days with return to work in as little as 5-7 days, and to some physical exercise in the second week. The options I offer patient in the spectrum of facial wasting treatments are:

• Facial Implants. This is the gold standard of treatment described above. Implants that are specifically designed, carved, and placed can beautifully fill out the midface concavities and provide a tremendous and natural result.
• Filler Materials and Injectables. I use these to fill in around the edges of where the implant is placed.
• Facelift. Sometimes there is skin laxity that, once tightened, very much improves the look

I spend a great deal of time discussing your anatomy, listening to your expectations, and interpreting for you what your anatomy and tissues will allow me to do in a safe and predictable way. In addition, I consider your body as a whole and I build a system into every facial surgery that, initially, allows you to recover much quicker and, secondly, it serves to preserve your surgical results. This system includes a special diet, special attention to blood clotting, vitamins, supplements, skin products, physical training and knowing what to avoid. Together, all of this allows me to create results that are consistently very beautiful, quick to heal, exceptionally natural, and with minimal incisions, especially in the face; an area of such major importance. I am delighted to surgically provide you with such profound yet natural facial image changes, and ones that have consistently so pleased my patients and changed their lives.

Please also read my article on Fat Grafting FAQ’s and others in the Articles Section of the website.
 

For before and after images of this procedure click here

Please call or contact the office for any further information or to schedule an appointment.