Thank you for your question!
You’re 30 years old and you are concerned that the area around your mouth makes you
look older and that you want a more permanent solution other than fillers.
You also go on t describe there are lines next to the philtrum present but then you
always had them and you are frustrated by the marionette lines.
So I can certainly give you my perspective.
I’m a board certified cosmetic surgeon and fellowship trained oculofacial plastic and
reconstructive surgeon practicing in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years and facial
aging issues is something that I specialize in.
I do a lot of face lifts and eyelids surgery and I also do a lot of non-surgical interventions
including the use of injectables.
So certainly your situation is more of a situation of heredity than it is aging.
And when you are talking about permanents or permanent solutions, it is very important
that there are certain procedures that have long term benefit but there are rarely procedures
that really say is good for a lifetime or permanent solution.
And why is that?
Because as you get older, you lose volume in the areas of the face including bone, muscle
and fat and soft tissue and then there will be sagging.
And your face doesn’t stop at age 30.
It continues to change depending on genetics, depending on the environmental factors and
stressors and physical issues.
So I think that one of the things that would be an opportunity for you is to consider where
there is an anatomic loss, relative loss of volume such as the marionette lines that you
can improve.
And in your situation, I would probably go towards a long term use of filler.
Now I realized especially for someone who is 30 something that you don’t expect to
do but in our practice we perform procedure called the Y lift and I’m not necessarily
saying this is right thing for you but I am saying that what we do with Y lift is actually
placing volume at a deeper level between the bone structure and the muscle.
And the point of me saying is that we are able to help people with nasolabial folds,
cheek volume loss, jawline, volume loss in a way that is really natural at the structural
level.
Well the results can last over two years.
Although that is not permanent but that is longer lasting than what is typical with fillers.
There is a lot of art to this.
So even if you don’t do something like the Y lift, you can also consider something like
filler such as Juvederm Ultra Plus where the material can last for reasonably long periods
of time.
There is a direct correlation between level of viscosity and longevity of the material
so you don’t want to trade longevity for lumpiness.
So that’s one very important condition to at least to keep in mind.
So in tackling your issues especially when we talk about the lines around the mouth that
have always been part or the result of just natural genetic or hereditary pattern, maybe
ask yourself how aggressive do you really want to be in to make these lines significantly
improve.
There are a lot of people who have a similar situation as yourself and when they come to
my office, I basically try to explain how there is an investment in time and effort
and the results and you always have to get the best value for that time and effort and
get the results that you’ll be satisfied with.
I think that most likely from my perspective focusing in the marionette line area and the
area around the mouth, you’ll probably do better in focusing on the lines that are next
to the philtrum.
One of the things I always teach my patients and it’s kind of hard to really grasp sometimes
because of how we all are, basically when we look at something that we don’t like,
we look at it and then we magnify and we think that everybody who meets us is looking directly
into that area and that’s not usually the case.
Really, when people meet us, they are looking at the big picture and so you may want to
think about that in terms of strategy.
I also tell people when there is an area of weakness in your face and if we enhance that
area, it puts things into balance and whether you use terms like the ideal proportion or
golden ratio, there is a lot of art to making someone look good and looking natural.
So I think you should meet with qualified experienced doctors who perform facial rejuvenation
procedure.
I would want you to really feel comfortable with the doctor you choose.
Feel like you’ll be going to have a long term relationship with the doctor and that
you can trust the doctor.
Once you find someone you like, maybe you can take small steps along the way to figure
out what is a good and the reasonable expectation or result that you would be satisfied and
worth investing in time and resources.
So I hope that was helpful, I wish you the best of luck and thank you for your question!