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How Can I Correct This Naseolabial Fold Problem on One Side of my Face?
msmmi in sf in Pleasanton, CA asks:
2 months ago I had 4 qaud eye lift, brow lift, full facelift and lipo of the neck. I had some nasolabial folds before surgery, and the doctor assured me these procedures would correct the problem. However, the fold on one side is still there, and never seemed to get better. I feel the malar fat pad may not have been lifted as much as it should have been. I am not into fillers that don’t last, after spending all this money for a more lasting fix. what should be done?
Photo Courtesy of RealSelf.com
It is now two months after the procedure and there has been a number of procedures performed, including your eyelift and brow lift and facelift, liposuction and neck lift. These are a lot of procedures and even though it has been two months there is still some reasonable amount of healing that needs to occur. Most people desire resolution of all their swelling and healing problems by a week or a month, but essentially three and six months or more is required.
Therefore assessing the nasolabial folds is somewhat premature at this phase, but a number of things can be discussed at this time. Facelift procedures can soften the nasolabial folds, but rarely get rid of the significant concerns of the nasolabial folds. Fillers are the best answer. There are a number of fillers; the temporary ones are beneficial. If you are interested in a “lasting fix” then more permanent type fillers are helpful, including Artifill and Sculptra, as well as fat grafting. Fat grafting tends to be the best answer in many instances due to its reliability and the fact that it comes from your own body to begin with.
So the best answer to your question is to wait a little bit of time, at least three months if not six months, and assess things and consider fillers after that period of time. Fat grafting would be my first option, Sculptra would be a second answer.
Is It Safe to Have a Facelift After Sculptra?
Eimel in Gold Coast asks:
“I had a Sculptra injection and am supposed to have 1 more in 6 weeks, the doctor’s idea was to make my skin stronger so he can do a threadlift. After doing some research I think this is not for me and I’d like to go back to my original idea of having a traditional facelift – but I am now worried that if I get a facelift when my skin is a bit tighter from the Sculptra treatment it will sag again in 1-2 years once the Sculptra wears off. Can this be a problem after just 1 Sculptra injection?”
It is safe to have a facelift after Sculptra.
Sculptra is a quite successful filling agent that provides fullness to the face and lasts for a prolonged period of time. Some feel two years and some researchers and physicians feel that it lasts even longer. It is actually difficult to absolutely state the time that an individual Sculptra might dissipate, if at all. It does not simply go away completely at two years.
The best time to choose to do a facelift should not be influenced by when fillers such as Sculptra might wear off. When there are significant sagging components to the face, particularly jowls and neck area, the best remedy is for a facelift. Indeed many individuals undergo a facelift and also have concomitant filling, whether fat grafting, Sculptra or other fillers such as Restylane. This provides additional rejuvenation. If you have a facelift now, there will be changes over time that are for the most part unpredictable.
The best answer is to have a facelift now and as time goes along consider supplemental rejuvenation treatments as needed and as recommended by your physician, such as additional Sculptra or additional other fillers. On the other hand, if you wait for the Sculptra end point, when all the Sculptra is dissipated, the time period of this waiting period could be two years, could be several years and is unpredictable.
