Page 26 - May 2015 ~ Danville Today News
Refreshed not Weird: How Botox, Dysport, and Fillers Should Look
By Dr. Barbara Persons, Persons Plastic Surgery
A friend had just finished a high level business meeting with two women. He said, “What is it about 40-year-old women who have been overdone?” He was talking about people that have gone overboard on injectable treatments such as fillers and Botox. My initial thought... he doesn’t realize that these women are not forty-something. They do look younger than their 50 years, but they look overdone. This is indeed a problem, and it’s becoming a more common problem that I am being asked to fix in my practice. Facial rejuvenation is one of the top requests I receive. Whether we like to admit it or not, we all like the thought of a refreshed version of ourselves. Ultimately, gravity wrinkles and loss of volume over time will ultimately be most improved by surgery: a neck lift, facelift, eyelids, etc. But, for many patients, natural fillers and fat grafting, Botox, Dysport, Filaser, and RF treatments provide a safe and effective treatment to subtly improve our look. The key in facial rejuvenation -- from Botox to fillers to fat grafting -- is achieving a look that is youthful, not “weird,” as my friend stated. The look should be refreshed, never overdone, and most importantly natural. Aging gracefully is just as important as looking beautiful, and the secret here is ensuring no one can guess there been a treatment done in the first place. As an expert in face work, I have many tools to use, but the secret to subtle, successful artistry is understanding how exactly to use them. There are two basic sets of concepts when it comes to facial rejuvenation. The first is lifting with volume replacement, and the second is improvement of texture, lines, pigment, and laxity. There was a time when we associated aging only with “gravity.” However, we now understand that volume loss can also dramatically change the aesthetic balance of the face. Volume loss occurs in soft tissues and bone, especially in the temporal areas, nasolabial fold, and the
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participate. “NHD is an inspiring program that has helped me learn how to conduct good quality research that is applicable to all academic disciplines. I enjoy selecting a topic that interests me and shaping the presentation to fit the theme,” Julienne writes. “I have been inspired by the individuals I have researched and by the students I meet at the competitions, especially at the Nationals where there are students from all over the world.” Daniel Dunn has judged State and National projects for several years. As Executive Director of the Museum of the San Ramon Valley, he suggested the Board offer a cash prize this year in conjunction with their Lincoln exhibit to the Contra Costa student whose project best reflected Lincoln’s leadership. Julian La from Golden View Elementary was elated to be the winner. Dunn hopes many students will take advantage of the Museum’s archives and contacts. “As a judge,” he explains, “some of the most interesting storylines used by NHD students are those that are largely unknown. Students will sometimes ignore their local communities to tell national or international stories while their local areas may have interesting and compelling aspects to their histories. Since much of the judging emphasis is the use of primary resources, a student’s local historical societies and historical agencies can provide access to a wealth of resources.” On February 21st, 204 NHD contestants gathered at the Blackhawk Museum for the third annual Contra Costa History Day competition. Since Stutzman teamed with co-coordinator Sia Sauer, Julienne’s mother, to promote NHD in Contra Costa, the local event has doubled in size each year. 2015 competitors came from as far away as Richmond’s Making Waves Academy. Sia Sauer learned about NHD in New Jersey when the program was integrated into her older son’s middle school curriculum. Her younger son competed in New Jersey and in California after the family moved. Both brothers went to Nationals. Sia talks with teachers interested in incorporating NHD into their curriculum and advises students who want to compete but don’t have teacher guidance. She notes, “NHD offers an opportunity for students to experience project based learning. It also helps them learn about research and how to present a topic to an audience. It fosters their self-confidence and sense of accomplishment. The judging process is very encouraging and all students step away from the process with skills that will help in everyday life.” For almost a decade, the Behring family has sponsored NHD. The competition,
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cheeks. This results in hollow areas of the temples, sunken eyes, eye bags, tear troughs, mid cheek breaks, marionette lines around the mouth, droopy skin at the jaw, and excess neck skin and bags. The combined effect of volume loss, sun exposure, and age also contributes to increased skin laxity, which presents as wrinkles around the eyes, the forehead, and the middle brow. The face looks more aged, more tired, less full, and overall less youthful. In the wrong hands, or with the wrong product (cheap counterfeit versions of many popular products like Botox, Dysport and fillers are a real problem), the results are only made worse...you become overdone and look weird The correct approach in my opinion is a whole face approach: recreating the beautiful normal. With Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin, the muscle relaxers, I recommend a balanced treatment. This means relaxing each of the main muscles, say in the forehead or around the eyes in a balanced synergistic way. Fillers and fat grafting should be used to perform a liquid facelift while keeping the proportions natural. Phi or the ideal proportions can be referenced. Properly treated lips should look natural, not weird. Nasolabial folds should not look like sausages - laser treatments and/or Botox/Dysport for fine lines and wrinkles and the right filler for replacing volume. There are new fillers such as Voluma, Restalyne Silk, and Radiesse Plus for treating very specialized areas of the face that may be worth the higher cost. Most importantly, consistency is key. Make sure you use a well-trained, highly skilled injector with a heightened aesthetic sense who is able to learn the intricacies unique to your face. Find a physician or nurse injector you like, and stick with that person. Most people who end up overdone have had multiple visits with multiple doctors. Our nurses, Melissa and Brittney, work hard with me to make sure you look natural. As always, we look forward to meeting you at Persons Plastic Surgery for a consult so we can demonstrate our approach to consistent results. Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc. is located at 911 Moraga Rd, Suite 205 in Lafayette. To contact me call 925-283-4012 or email drbarb@ Advertorial personsplasticsurgery.com. held each June at the University of Maryland, is officially named the Kenneth E. Behring National Contest. When Ken Behring established the Blackhawk Museum, Smithsonian exhibits complemented the automotive displays. A member of the Smithsonian Board as well as History Channel Senior Vice President, Libby O’Connell introduced the Behrings to Cathy NHD competitors upgrade their projects as they Gorn, NHD Executive Director. advance. Brenda Stutzman advises Alex Migrditchian Like many non-profits, NHD des- (left) on his project while Avinash Iyer (middle) perately needed major donors. The awaits her input. Both boys are headed to State. Behring family came through immediately – not only with funding, but also with innovations that continue to enhance the NHD experience. David Behring, a National History Day Trustee, enjoys judging as much as his mother enjoys presenting awards. He explains that his mother was studying to become a teacher when she married and has always valued the efforts of educators. The Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award she established honors two teachers from each NHD affiliate (one for junior level grades 6-8 and another for senior level grades 9-12). Two National Award winners each receive $10,000. Behring Teacher Ambassadors, who have shown “outstanding creativity, commitment and inspiration in developing students’ interest in history,” are selected to advise teachers and students interested in participating in NHD. Smithsonian now chooses its own 50 winners, one from each state, to bring their exhibits to the National Museum of American History the Wednesday of the Nationals and talk with visitors about their projects. Life in a Jar: the Irena Sendler Project by Jack Mayer follows the actual NHD experience of a group of Kansas girls whose tenacious research finally connected them with Sendler, a Polish woman who saved 2,500 Jewish children during the Holocaust. Contact Sia Sauer/Brenda Stutzman for more information at contracostacountyhd@gmail.com or visit http://contracostahistory.wix.com/cccnhd or go to www.nhd.org.