Injectable Fillers in Aesthetic Medicine

Abstract

ForewordGary D. Monheit, M.D.The field of aesthetic medicine has been changing at such a rapid pace it has become hard to keep up with the latest trends and developments. Each decade has introduced new technologies that have made our practices safer, simpler and more efficacious. The 1980's were the decade of chemical peels; the 1990's the laser; but the two most innovative changes have come about from the aesthetic use of botulinum toxin in the 1990's and now the explosion of fillers in this era of the 21st century. From one or two fillers available twenty years ago, we now have a full cabinet of filling materials -both biodegradable and permanent -to meet each of our patient's needs. In the recent few years, fillers are emerging like spring flowers in a profusion of original devices, copycats and injection materials. It has become increasingly difficult for the clinician to sort through the marketing hype to find the real objective science -if it exists -on the newer agents. This is further complicated by the fact that CE certification does not require efficacy and safety data if comparable filling substances are already on the market. The reality is that most new aesthetic devices come from Europe, and it is difficult for us to evaluate what's new and what's good."Injectable Fillers in Aesthetic Medicine" provides a well-needed compendium as a complete yet very hands-on practical approach to the practice of fillers at this time. It fulfills an important niche by gathering information from many sources for the updated volume. Both, Dr. Berthold Rzany and Dr. Mauricio de Maio, are highly respected aesthetic researchers and clinicians. They have sorted through the technical data and marketing hype to provide truthful and practical information for you -the aesthetic clinician -for use in your practice.The volume is divided into usable chapters encompassing materials, patient selection, preparations, anesthesia, regional injections including techniques, combination therapy and complications with treatment. I highly recommend this compendium for both the novice clinician beginning a filler practice as well as those with long experience needing an update on the latest materials and techniques. This is the next best thing to a "hands-on" course from master clinicians. This reference on injectable dermal fillers is the first comprehensive manual for the practitioner. It is a perfect symbiosis of pragmatism, experience, and wisdom of two well-known scientists and practitioners from both continents Europe and South America. Today, information on aesthetic surgery is not limited to an exclusive group of injectors any more, but finds a broad, multi-disciplinary interest among many medical specialties. Increasingly, many non-traditional specialties such as gynecologists and dentists offer wrinkle treatment, whether in combination with antiaging medicine or rejuvenation of the frontal teeth.What is the optimal treatment for wrinkles? Many praises have been spread by the manufacturers and distributors regarding their own pro...