Types of Injectables and How to Prepare and Recover

April 8th, 2016 | Posted in: Beauty Tips, Botox Treatments, Skincare | Tags: anti-aging, augmentation, Botox, botulinum toxin, cosmetic medicine, cosmetic surgery, Dermal Fillers, fat grafting, fat injection, fat transfer, fillers, injectables, soft tissue fillers

Add volume, create angles and freeze the hands of time with injectable cosmetic medicine. As an alternative to cosmetic surgery and procedure, learn more about the types of injectables and how to prepare and recover.

Botulinum Toxin

Botulinum Toxin, also known as Botox, is a cosmetic injection that blocks the nerve signals that cause muscles to contract. As a result, the injection relaxes and minimizes fine lines and wrinkles. The most common areas are between the brows, crow’s feet around the eyes and forehead creases.

What are the Benefits of Botulinum Toxin?

Here is a list of both cosmetic and medical benefits that botulinum toxin can help treat:

Fine lines and wrinkles
Facial asymmetry
Muscle spasticity
Eyelid spasms
Hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating
Crossed or lazy eyes

Depending on your age, skin condition and habits, these results will last anywhere from three to six months.

How is Botulinum Toxin Administered?

Botulinum toxin injections are administered as follows:

The surgeon cleanses the injection site and usually does not require anesthesia prior to injection
The desired result may require several injections to achieve – depending on your specific concern and condition
Slight pain, short-lasting swelling and minimal redness and bleeding will likely occur as a result of your procedure

How do I Prepare for a Botulinum Toxin Procedure?

Botulinum toxin is generally a low risk procedure and does not require intensive screening. To prepare for a botulinum toxin injection, here are a few action items:

Disclose a full medical history and any medications you are currently taking to your plastic surgeon
Stay well hydrated before and after treatment for safe recovery
Stop smoking at least six weeks before your procedure (this may vary depending on your plastic surgeon’s recommendation)

Additional information to provide your plastic surgeon’s office include:

If you have had botulinum toxin injections in the past
Are you using NSAIDs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, anticoagulants or blood thinners
If you are taking muscle relaxants, allergy or sleeping medication

Aftercare and Recovery

After your botulinum toxin injection, you can return to your regular activities immediately. However, your surgeon will discourage strenuous activity for the remainder of the day. Redness and swelling may occur at the time of the injection but usually resolves quickly. Any bruising that may occur will usually resolve within a week or two.

To help expedite recovery and maintain results:

Avoid massaging the injected area afterwards – doing so may inadvertently cause the botulinum toxin to spread to an unintended area
Lying down or inverting the body after injection can cause complications
Consult your plastic surgeon’s office before taking painkillers or medication

Fillers

Fillers, also known as dermal fillers or soft tissue fillers, are minimally invasive aesthetic medicine that add volume, alter the contours of the face and fill in wrinkles. As a result, fillers achieve fuller, smoother and more youthful appearance in the face, neck and hands.

What are the Benefits of Fillers?

Here is a list of both cosmetic and medical benefits that fillers can help treat:

Fine lines and wrinkles around your mouth, eyes or forehead
Cheeks, jaw line or lip volume enhancements
Scars and depressions in the skin

How are Fillers Administered?

Using a syringe, the surgeon will apply the filler to carious areas on the face and head, including areas around the eyes, along the jaw, around the lips and in the head. The number, location and depth of the injections depend on the type of dermal fillers used and the desired results.

How do I Prepare for a Fillers Procedure?

In the weeks leading up to your treatment, your plastic surgeon will provide you thorough instructions to best prepare and answer any questions you may have. Below are a few recommendations:

Disclose a full medical history and any medications you are currently taking to your plastic surgeon
Refrain from taking aspirin, ibuprofen, vitamin E and any other medication that could cause bruising
Stop smoking at least six weeks before your procedure (this may vary depending on your plastic surgeon’s recommendation)
Stay well hydrated before and after treatment for safe recovery

Aftercare and Recovery

After your treatment, you will likely see the results immediately. Post-injection, you may experience swelling or minimal bruising in the area of the injection site. To resolve this, your physician may give an ice pack or col compress to decrease swelling. This should resolve itself within one week to ten days, but recovery time will largely depend on the type of soft tissue filler you received.

Fat Transfer

Fat transfer, also known as fat grafting or fat injection, is a procedure that transfers the patient’s excess fat and injects it into areas that may be lacking in volume, such as your face, hands, breasts or buttocks. This procedure not only produces natural-looking results, it is also safe, long-lasting and well-tolerated.

What are the Benefits of Fat Transfer?

The best candidate for a fat transfer is a patient seeking to augment or fill in volume-deficient areas.

Here is a list of both cosmetic and medical benefits that fat transfer can help treat:

Facial creases and depressions
Breast augmentation and enhancement
Buttock augmentation
Improve body contour, fill bodily depressions and rejuvenate your hands and face

How is Fat Transfer Administered?

Fat transfer procedure encompasses three stages: (1) harvesting, (2) purification and (3) placement.

Harvesting

Your plastic surgeon and you will select a site for fat removal (usually outer thighs, stomach, or lower back) and inject it with a local anesthetic. A small incision is then created for fat removal using a sterile technique inserting a cannula connected to a syringe to carefully extract fat. This process is also known as liposuction.

Purification

The fat extracted from harvesting is processed to prepare the fat cells for transfer to small syringes that will be used for placement. This process, known as purification, may use a centrifuge to spin the fat or a filtration process to remove impurities.

Placement

The surgeon first prepares the transfer site for fat injection. Your plastic surgeon will insert a needle or cannula into the incision point of the augmented site. During this process, the needle or cannula is withdrawn in and out a few times to transfer and deposit the purified fatty tissues carefully in natural tissue planes. This process is repeated until desired results are achieved.

How do I Prepare for a Fat Transfer?

Your plastic surgeon will provide thorough instructions to help you best prepare for the procedure. Below are a few recommendations:

Disclose a full medical history and any medications you are currently taking to your plastic surgeon
Perform a physical exam to determine your fitness for this procedure
Pre-procedure photos may be taken
Refrain from taking aspirin, ibuprofen, vitamin E and any other medication that could cause bruising
Stop smoking at least six weeks before your procedure (this may vary depending on your plastic surgeon’s recommendation)
Stay well hydrated before and after treatment for safe recovery
Arrange for someone to drive you home after surgery. This individual or another point of contact should stay with you for at least twenty-four hours post-procedure

Aftercare and Recovery

After the fat transfer procedure, consult with your doctor on how long it will be before you can return to your normal activities, including work. Post-operative instructions also include:

Normal symptoms you will experience
Any potential signs of complications

You may experience swelling and bruising during the first week. Bruising should resolve within the second week, with slight swelling remaining. Expect to take seven to ten days or two weeks from normal activities and returning to work. By the third week, the swelling will reduce and you can carefully, lightly apply makeup to camouflage any residual swelling and bruising.