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Can fillers achieve a facelift effect?

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Summary

Dr. KK Chew of NU.U Aesthetics & Wellness discusses the non-surgical trend of “Liquid Facelift” or “Fillers for facial lifting” using dermal fillers. Exploring the True Lift technique, he addresses facial aging involving lax ligaments, offering natural-looking facelifts. The article emphasizes the importance of a skilled doctor determining suitable filler use, dosage, and injection points for optimal results. 

Dr. Chew introduces Restylane Lyft for True Lift, emphasizing its firm texture and high lifting capacity. Acknowledging individual uniqueness, he highlights combining treatments like HIFU for enhanced outcomes, concluding that skilled doctors can achieve facelift-like results with fillers.

What is “Liquid facelift” & how does it work?

The term “liquid facelift” has been used for some time to describe the results obtainable by dermal fillers and toxins in creating a facelift-like result.

During a liquid face-lift procedure, a patient receives multiple injections of dermal fillers, which are substances that restore facial fullness for a more youthful appearance. 

“The end goal is to plump up the skin, and the beauty of this procedure is you can often get it done in one session. Nevertheless, to achieve true and natural lifting using liquid facelift often requires the experience of a doctor to determine the appropriate use of fillers (e.g. dosage amount, injection points), and the skills in delivering the fillers to the suitable injection points.” says Dr Chew. 

Ageing of the face

As we age, the true retaining ligaments that support the face and skin become lax, contributing to visible signs of ageing. These include dropping of the lateral canthus of the eye, flattened apple cheeks, sagging of mid-face, deepening of the nasolabial folds as well as drooping of the mouth corner and jowls.

“Ageing of the face is actually a complex process involving not only loss of collagen and skin elasticity but also volumetric loss of the facial fat pads, deep fat and bone atrophy, repositioning of soft tissues as well as the ageing of facial (true) ligaments.

The 4 major true ligaments include the orbital ligament, the zygomatic ligament, the buccal maxillary retaining ligament and the mandibular ligament (see diagram below). These ligaments, the essential fibres that hold up the superficial muscular aponeurotic system layer of the face, play a part in holding up the soft tissues of the face.

In liquid facelift procedures, the appropriate use of suitable fillers at suitable injection points serves to provide good support to the true ligaments, ultimately achieve a face lifting effect in a natural way.” explains Dr Chew. 

Elsa Raskin, MD, Gregory S. LaTrenta, MD, Why Do We Age in Our Cheeks?, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, Volume 27, Issue 1, January 2007, Pages 19–28,

“As we age, the true retaining ligaments that support the face and skin become lax, contributing to visible signs of ageing. These include dropping of the lateral canthus of the eye, flattened apple cheeks, sagging of mid-face, deepening of the nasolabial folds as well as drooping of the mouth corner and jowls.” – Dr KK Chew 

Achieve True Lift with Restylane Lyft

True Lift is a concept and a technique developed by well-known Taiwanese plastic surgeon Dr Peter Huang and Galderma to address the signs of facial ageing. It involves the use of minimal amounts of stiff filler to lift the face by supporting the important facial ligaments. (Related article: Treatment For Facial Skin Laxity: The True Lift Technique by Dr KK Chew.  
 
Not all fillers are capable of providing the required lift. At NU.U clinic, we use Restylane Lyft (under the Restylane range of products) to achieve True Lift as the texture of Restylane Lyft is firm enough to provide support to the skin due to its high lifting capacity (high G prime). 
 
A minimum dose of 1 ml is recommended for each side of the face (consisting of five injection points) although doctors may adjust the allocation of the 1 ml based on the patient’s individual clinical condition. The dosage or injection points may also be increased when required to achieve a better clinical outcome.
 
These injection points target the retaining ligaments to treat the root causes of sagging skin in suitable patients. Results include the improved appearance of drooping of the corners of the eye, flattened cheeks, sagging of the midface area, deepened nasolabial folds, and/or drooping mouth corners and jowls.
 

The art and science of achieving facial lifting with fillers

 
“I introduced Restylane Lyft in my practice for a few years now. This treatment has proven to be quite popular with a relatively high patient satisfaction rate.
 
Nevertheless, we need to be mindful that every face is unique. Some patients may need more than a Restylane Lyft treatment program to achieve the outcome they want. It could be a treatment program that sees the use of Restylane Lyft with an energy-based device. Over the past year, in some cases, I combined HIFU treatments with 1 cc of Restylane Lyft to target the zygomatic ligaments with much success. Results may be subtle but it helps patients achieve a refreshed look that they find satisfactory.” says Dr Chew.
 
To conclude: yes, fillers can help patients achieve a facelift-like result in the hands of a skillful experienced doctor. Before embarking on this procedure, have a medical consultation with a trained doctor who will first evaluate your skin and facial structures for suitability. If you have more questions, reach us at 6732 9989.
 
 
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NU.U Aesthetics & Wellness has been awarded the “Restylane Premium Clinic for 2021/22” by Galderma. Dr KK Chew is a key opinion leader for the Restylane range of dermal fillers and a certified trainer since 2008.

References
Elsa Raskin, MD, Gregory S. LaTrenta, MD, Why Do We Age in Our Cheeks?, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, Volume 27, Issue 1, January 2007, Pages 19-28, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asj.2006.12.003

Your journey to looking and feeling good starts here. Learn more about how this treatment can help you unlock the restoration and rejuvenation you need for your face and skin. Contact us to make an appointment.

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