AESTHETIC MEDICINE, WHAT IT IS AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT: born in France almost 50 years ago, aesthetic medicine promotes a situation of well-being because it allows you to feel in harmony with your physical and mental appearance. In fact, it can happen that you feel uncomfortable due to a blemish that is hard to accept and therefore, in addition to correcting the imperfection, aesthetic medicine can help improve the quality of life. The tools used in this field usually have a temporary duration and need to be recalled after a certain period of time, unlike cosmetic surgery which requires decidedly more invasive interventions and much longer post-operative recovery times.
LE ALTERNATIVE AL LIFTING: getting a defined oval, especially as age progresses, is always easier and non-invasive. The techniques are increasingly sophisticated and the interventions even more targeted, but they must be practiced by a professional. “The cosmetic surgeon is not just a surgeon, because he must know how to observe, listen, perceive, he must have the concept of beauty within himself, but above all have a solid technical preparation and a lot of humanity” underlines the Dr. Pierfrancesco BoveLecturer at theUniversity of Foggia and also FIME advisor (Italian Federation of Aesthetic Medicine), as well as author of numerous scientific publications.
BOTOX, THE MOST DEMANDED TREATMENT IN THE WORLD: Botox is a botulinum toxin that blocks the production of the substance that transmits nerve impulses to the muscles. Therefore, when injected into the mimic muscles of the face, it decreases the contractile activity by reducing expression lines due to the continuous use of the mimic muscles of the forehead, such as frowning or wrinkling the nose, or having a frown all the time. This treatment has a tightening effect on the upper third of the face, lifting and opening the gaze by lifting the tail of the eyebrow. Beware of current trends, however: “For instance, aAlthough the “cat eye” is all the rage today, we must always remember that not everything is right for everyone. The doctor must advise by carefully observing the patients’ faces and suggesting the most suitable treatment regardless of fashion” continues Dr. Bove.
THE FILLER TO LIFT THE SMILE: the wrinkles on the sides of the mouth give a tired and sad attitude. The so-called “puppet lines” push the smile downwards and are truly unsightly: to fill and level the wrinkles around the eyes and mouth and to correct the nasolabial folds, the filler is the ideal treatment. These are materials that are injected into the dermis or subcutaneous tissue in order to fill a depression, to correct imperfections, to retouch facial imperfections such as wrinkles or scars, to increase the volumes now lost over the years. There are different types depending on the duration and they are mainly two: hyaluronic acid and calcium hydroxyapatite, which are injected under the skin through special syringes equipped with super thin needles.
RADIO FREQUENCY TO RECOMPACT TISSUES: one of the most popular treatments to counteract skin aging, with particular attention to wrinkles and skin laxity. Also called “lifting without a scalpel”, it is based on the emission of completely painless radio waves; these generate heat, and in contact with the skin they can stimulate the fibroblasts and the production of new collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid by the epidermis.
FACETITES FOR A LIFTING EFFECT: against sagging skin this treatment is ideal, because it acts as a tensor and is minimally invasive. It is a variation of radiofrequency technology: a heat-emitting probe connected to a cannula placed under the skin is inserted to perform the treatment on the desired area with the aim of stretching and recompacting the skin, especially on areas such as the eye contour, mouth and mandibular.
LIPOFILLING TO REJUVENATE THE FACE: over the years the face undergoes a reduction in the volume of its adipose tissue so that the face appears more empty and hollowed out. When we are at the beginning of this facial aging process, thanks to lipofilling we can reshape and give new volume to areas of the body that are emptied and not very harmonious. Again, according to the Dr. Bovewho is also a speaker at national and international congresses, “the opinion of the expert is essential to understand whether to limit oneself to this technique or whether it is necessary to resort to an actual face lifting”. The treatment is based on taking a defined amount of adipe (fat) from a part of our body called the “donor area”, which is then infiltrated into the areas of the body that we want to reshape, fill and correct. In particular, lipofilling is indicated for smoothing out wrinkles, volumizing thin lips, filling the buttocks and calves, reshaping the face and sagging or not very pronounced breasts, redefining the cheeks, chin and cheekbones.