With the lagging economy some people looking to improve their appearances have opted to use dermal fillers instead of cosmetic surgery. However, a recent group of experts, gathered by the Food and Drug Administration, set forth to discuss concerns over the prolonged use of facial fillers. Even though many injectable products have been approved by the FDA, there is a primary concern that the excessive use for other parts of the body might present new safety concerns for the patient other than what they were originally designed for.

Recent studies have shown that facial fillers are being used more and more to treat conditions that the filler was not designed for. Long term medical data is not available to determine the safety and efficacy of using facial fillers in a non-conventional way.

Much of the data acquired on the initial safety study of use of facial fillers had been done, for the most part, on fair skinned patients. With new emerging markets like in South America and elsewhere, where darker skinned people are receiving these treatments, there is a possible risk of pigmentation problems with over use.

One report from a prominent plastic surgeon suggests that people are overdoing facial fillers to the point that their faces look way too big for their bodies and problems like bumps and lumpiness in the skin are becoming noticeable.

Regardless of the use of these less invasive and less expensive facial procedures, facelifts offer a better choice for patients looking to enhance their appearance. People can end up spending thousands of dollars for routine facial filler treatments over a period of time where a single surgical procedure could create a better result that is longer lasting and overall more cost effective.

Most facelifts require around ten days to two weeks before a person can comfortably be seen in public. Mini-facelifts look very good in around a week after surgery. Dr. Sorosky and Dr. Park take care to ensure that each patient is individually assessed the proper procedure when performing a facelift, taking into consideration the underlying form of a person face and repositioning muscles as well as skin.