Injectibles

Salisbury, Maryland Injectibles, Botox, Juvederm, ...

Many men and women are seeking simple, affordable ways to enhance their appearance without having to undergo surgery or a prolonged, painful recovery time. Injection therapy is one example of such. Doctors Christopher Pellegrino and Vincent Perrotta are board certified plastic surgeons offering such treatments:

Botox

Botox is a well-known brand name for a type of botulinum toxin (type A). When injected in small doses into specific facial muscles, it acts as a muscle relaxant, thereby minimizing the appearance of certain facial wrinkles.

Botox is safe. It is the same material doctors have been using to treat medical conditions such as strabismus (lazy eye), blepharospasm (eyelid twitching), hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating), chronic migraine, and a host of other muscle spasticity disorders. Since Botox is a purified toxin and contains no organism, it does not have the capacity to multiply and spread. Thus, its only known effect takes place where it is injected and where it is moved via massage.

From a cosmetic standpoint, Botox softens or completely erases facial lines or wrinkles, including vertical lines between the eyebrow, scrow’s feet, forehead furrows and those at the borders of the lips.

More recently, Doctors Pellegrino and Perrotta are injecting Botox to actually move certain structures on the face. For example, these doctors can produce some eyebrow elevation by injecting the muscles that normall pull them downward. They can flatten some muscle bands on the neck by simply injecting them. Because plastic surgeons are without question the masters of facial anatomy, they are uniquely able to produce amazing improvements and avoid complications.

Dr. Pellegrino and Dr. Perrotta perform Botox injections in their office using very small needles. While usually no anesthesia is required, they offer numbing creams for their patients.

Results can be seen in 2-5 days and usually last 4-6 months. Patients state that, after undergoing multiple sessions of Botox, their results tend to last longer than 6 months.

Side effects are few, rare and minimal.. Some patients experience mild bruising at the injection site. Unwanted muscle weakness, eyelid weakness and allergic reactions are all very rare.

Dermal Fillers

A dermal filler is a product plastic surgeons inject into the skin to enhance certain features or fill in facial lines. Bovine (cow) collagen was one of the first of such products, receiving FDA approval in 1981. Although effective, bovine collagen has some drawbacks, including allergic reactions and a relatively short duration of action--on the order of a few weeks to months.

With an aging baby boomer population and an increasing demand for these procedures, the pharmaceutical industry responded by offering physicians an array of newer products. These are safer, hypoallergenic materials that offer consistent, natural results that last up to year and are associated with few side effects. Hyaluronic acid products such as Juvederm and Restylane are examples.

Doctors Pellegrino and Perrotta utilize these products to create fuller lips and fill in lines about the mouth and around the eyes. They are enhancing cheeks and even improving nasal contours with fillers.

Doctors Pellegrino and Perrotta use fillers premixed with local anesthetic, which makes injections more comfortable. Side effects and allergic reactions are rare. Some bruising and swelling may occu and are well treated with cold compresses. The results are immediate and recovery or down time is minimal.

Fat Grafting

Fat grafting is more of a surgical technique that involves transfer of a patient’s own fat from one body area to another. Fat can be used to fill in facial furrows and volumize facial features such as the cheeks or lips. The procedure involves suctioning fat from a donor area (usually the abdomen or thighs), processing it and then injecting it. This can be done as an isolated procedure or more commonly as an adjunct to facial plastic surgery such as a facelift or eyelid tuck. Drs. Pellegrino and Perrotta commonly perform this procedure in thier office-based operating room.