Injections or Surgery? How to Rejuvenate 3 Areas

At our Louisville plastic surgery practice and medical spa, advances in non-surgical treatments are exciting, offering our patients additional options to achieve their aesthetic goals. One of our jobs is assessing each patient’s individual needs and recommending whether non-surgical procedures are the best treatment path or whether cosmetic surgery would yield better results.

A few areas of the face that show common signs of aging can be treated either non-surgically or surgically, depending on your condition, goals, budget, and other factors. Check out your options for the following areas:

1. The brow: Perhaps our single most popular treatment is BOTOX® Cosmetic injections at our Louisville medical spa, which can reduce horizontal forehead wrinkles and vertical lines between the brows (often called “worry lines”). When administered by someone with excellent training and experience, the results look natural and can effectively turn back the clock. For patients who want a more significant and permanent change, however, a surgical brow lift is the best option. It’s also appropriate for women and men whose brows droop, causing them to look tired even when they feel rested. Also, dermal fillers can be used to treat deep wrinkles on the brow.



2. The eyes: Injectable fillers may be used to reduce a hollow appearance or dark circles beneath the lower eyelids, while BOTOX can minimize wrinkles at the corners of the eyes, called crow’s feet. Eyelid surgery, on the other hand, can remove excess skin of the upper eyelids, and it can reduce fat bags and dark circles under the eyes. It is one of the most popular cosmetic surgical procedures because it is a relatively minor operation that offers dramatic changes to a patient’s appearance.



3. The midface: Products such as JUVÉDERM VOLUMA® XC and Sculptra® Aesthetic, combined with other fillers, can produce results that resemble a facelift by returning volume to the cheeks and lips and filling in wrinkles around the mouth. This approach to facial rejuvenation is called a “liquid facelift” because it combines injectable treatments to accomplish dramatic changes without the downtime of surgery. Surgical intervention is necessary, however, if a patient seeks a longer lasting solution or wants to address the midface, jawline, and neck areas, particularly if there is major tissue drooping.

In general, surgical results will always be more extensive and last longer than non-surgical ones, but minimally invasive procedures cost less and require little to no downtime. The best way to determine which level of treatment is right in each case is for patients to come in for a personal consultation with Dr. Calobrace or myself.