Injectable Fillers Archives - Scott Mosser M.D.

It’s that time of the year again to commit to improving certain aspects in your life such as being proactive with how you look and present yourself. After all, your physical appearance will have a profound impact on how you feel about yourself and how you interact with the people around you. If you’re contemplating about a head-to-toe makeover to start the year minus the downtime and costs of plastic surgery, we recommend the following non-surgical options:
- CoolSculpting – Are you frustrated with those stubborn pockets of abdominal fat that do not respond to diet and regular exercise? You might want to consider CoolSculpting, a non-surgical approach to removing fat. Due to its less invasive nature, there is no significant amount of downtime involved.
- Sclerotherapy – Banish leg veins for good with a series of sclerotherapy treatments. A treatment could last between 10 minutes to an hour, depending on the size and number of leg veins being treated.
- Chemical Peels – If your main skin concerns have to do with light freckling, skin discoloration, or anything that has to do with hyperpigmentation (brought about by prolonged sun exposure), you might want to turn to chemical peels. There are various types of chemical peels out there and it is best to talk to your chemical peel provider about your goals to figure out the type and strength for you.
- Facial Fillers – Losing volume and elasticity is a part of aging itself which in turn leads to unsightly folds, jowls, and creases. If you’re currently experiencing the aforementioned and would want to add some plump and youthfulness this holiday season, facial fillers are your best bet. These fillers vary in their content — from naturally occurring substances such as collagen and hyaluronic acid to synthetic materials that fill in areas that have lost volume.
- Botox – Who wouldn’t want to give the most popular non-surgical cosmetic procedure a try? Although this injectable is popular in reducing the appearance of crow’s feet, it is also approved by the FDA in diminishing the appearance of those pesky vertical lines in between the brows and horizontal lines in your forehead. Since Botox is quite popular, we encourage everyone to exercise caution when choosing a Botox provider.
An initial consultation with Dr. Mosser is your first step to looking and feeling great in 2015! Call us at 415.398.7778 or fill out this contact form today to schedule an appointment. We look forward to your visit!
The hallmark attributes of youthful skin is similar across cultures and ethnicities: firm, elastic, smooth, and free of defects or blemishes. However, the human body changes over time and the skin is no exception. As the largest organ in the body, it undergoes a tremendous number of changes from infancy to childhood to adolescence to adulthood.

Every so often, loose, sagging skin is one of the noticeable changes that prompt men and women to seek Dr. Mosser’s expertise in providing cosmetic solutions. Read on below to learn more about ways to reduce and delay the appearance of sagging skin resulting from aging.

Factors with Major Influence on Sagging Skin

Generally, factors that influence the appearance of sagging skin include the following:
- Effects of gravity – This refers to the natural downward pull as we walk, sit, and move in an upward position
- Prolonged and consistent sun exposure
- Gradual loss of collagen and elastin in the skin – Both are types of protein that naturally occur in the body and are responsible for the taut appearance of youthful skin. However, as one ages, the collagen and elastin in the skin tend to dwindle. Collagen loss is partly responsible in the appearance of crow’s feet (wrinkles in the outermost corners of the eyes) and the progression of jowls along the jawline
- Dramatic weight loss – This could be a result to a change in lifestyle (diet and exercise), recovery from a long-term illness, or immediately after childbirth when the skin loses elasticity as it is stretched. Excess, loose skin is often noticeable in the arms, stomach, hips, and thighs. In addition, stretch marks may also appear as the skin is unable to adhere to the new body contour
- Influence of hormones such as in the case of menopause when production of estrogen has been depleted.
- Prolonged and consistent sun exposure
- Substantial loss of fat tissue in the subcutaneous layer of the skin
- Shrinking bones which result to lack of support for the skin
Other factors that may also influence the development of sagging skin include chronic lack of sleep, lack of exercise, poor diet, smoking, and alcohol.

Possible Cosmetic Treatments for Excess Skin

Face and neck – If you choose the surgical route, a face lift and/or a neck lift can help remove excess skin in the area. In addition, a brow lift or an eyelid lift can help remove loose, sagging skin on the upper third of the face. The aforementioned surgical procedures remove excess skin while the remaining skin is pulled into place for a more tightened appearance.

Non-surgical alternatives include the use of dermal fillers that primarily add volume to the skin. These injectables can be injected near or around the eyes, nose, lips, and neckline.

Body – Surgical cosmetic procedures are done in a similar fashion as the aforementioned surgical techniques for the face and neck. These procedures may include a tummy tuck, buttock enhancement surgery via implants or fat transfer, or a lower body lift.

If you’ve been having sagging skin issues either in the face, body, or both, Dr. Mosser and the rest of the team would love to help you look and feel your best! Call us at 415.398.7778 or fill out this contact form today to schedule an appointment. We look forward to helping you improve your life through cosmetic surgery!
Although aging is inevitable, there are numerous cosmetic procedures to reduce the appearance of the hallmarks of physical aging — from sagging jowls to the dreaded crow’s feet. Whether you’re looking into restoring your natural beauty or wanting to make subtle changes for dramatic results, our San Francisco cosmetic surgery practice is committed to helping you discreetly erase years off your face and body.

By and large, the following signs of aging will almost always give away or real age (or make you look older than your real age!):

1. Turkey Neck

This refers to sagging skin just below the chin making you think twice about posting that bathroom selfie you just took. The appearance of turkey neck can be attributed to flaccid muscles and excess accumulation of fat. A neck lift may be done for those who wish to choose the surgical route. Unfortunately there are very few non-surgical methods that help to a significant degree with a sagging neck.

2. Crow’s Feet

Crow’s feet refers to fine lines and wrinkles on the outermost corners of your eyes. Generally, their appearance is a result of repeated muscle contractions in the area when you squint and blink. Since you can’t stop yourself from squinting or blinking as a means of preventing them from appearing, Botox is the perfect choice to subtly erase them for a more youthful appearance.

3. Sagging jowls

Have you heard about the Triangle of Youth? It actually refers to the three components of how a youthful face should look like — full cheeks, high cheekbones, and a well-defined jawline. However, once aging has taken its toll, the Triangle of Youth slowly becomes the Pyramid of Age — sunken cheeks, nasolabial folds or parentheses, and the appearance of jowls in the lower third of the face. A face lift, chin liposuction, and certain dermal fillers can help make sagging jowls less noticeable.

4. Sagging brows and upper eyelids

Both the upper eyelids and brows are located close to each other and one will most likely assume that it only takes one surgical cosmetic procedure to improve their appearance. However, sagging brows can actually be remedied with a brow lift while loose skin in the upper eyelids will benefit from an upper eyelid lift. If both concerns are present, an eyelid surgery and a brow lift can be done at the same time. Botox can also help improve horizontal lines between the eyes.

5. Spotted and/or wrinkled hands

Your face may be youthful and flawless but your hands may convey an entirely different story with the appearance of wrinkles and brown spots. Laser therapy can significantly reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation spots while collagen-based fillers will help smoothen out those wrinkles.

Let us help you put your naturally youthful face and body forward! Call us at 415.398.7778 or fill out this contact form to schedule an appointment. We look forward to helping you improve your life through cosmetic surgery!
Looking in a mirror one day and saying to oneself, “My face looks so much older than I feel. How can I do something about it?” triggers a process of self analysis, investigation of (many) surgical and non-surgical options, and several difficult decisions. Not the least of these is deciding how best to spend your resources to best effect. It’s important to determine which of your facial features currently draw the most attention to your face and how those features could be improved.

Ask yourself:
- Were your eyes once your most attractive feature but now they appear tired or drawn?
- Were your cheeks once firm and rosy but now sag and appear hollow?
- When once your smile lifted at the corners, does it now struggle against folds of skin at each side of your mouth?
- Does your once smooth and defined jawline appear soft and droopy?
Pull out the family albums and examine photographs of your face over the past ten years (or more) to help you decide what you can gracefully accept in the aging process and what bothers you the most.
Set Goals and Find a Partner

Whether you decide it’s your facial lines and wrinkles, forehead and brow, eyes, nose, jaw or chin, set some priorities or goals before you schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon. That will enable you to target your questions and make the best use of the information your surgeon will give you. Take your photographs with you.

Be prepared to learn about an amazing array of surgical and non-surgical procedures and products to choose from. Make your surgeon your partner in deciding what would best achieve your objectives.
Yes, but it will depend entirely on variables unique to your situation. The extent of the wrinkling will play a factor, as well as your age and the results you are looking for. The best course of action is to schedule a consult to discuss your options and decide the best treatment options for your situation.

Treatment options range from Botox, chemical peels, Thermage skin tightening, Juvederm or Dysport fillers, or even, depending on the severity of lines lower eyelid surgery.
Cosmetic surgery enhancement has been around for a long time – but like the pace of modern life in the Bay Area, treatment times keep getting faster and faster. So fast that a number of procedures can even be completed over your lunch break.

Unwanted hair, uneven skin tone, fine lines and even wrinkles can be erased in hour or less with almost no downtime. Below we’ve identified four of the most popular “lunch-break” procedures:

Botox
Frown lines, crow’s feet and forehead wrinkles can all be remedied through Botox. Botox is a trade name for botulinum toxin A, a neurotoxin that blocks the signals that normally tell your muscles to contract. The result is wrinkle-free skin for three to six months.

Prior to treatment, the skin is cleansed and the injection sites are marked. In cosmetic surgery, a thin needle is then used to inject Botox beneath the surface of the skin. The results will begin to appear gradually over the course of a week. Repeat treatments will be needed to maintain results long term.

Dermal Fillers
Restylane, Juvederm, Sculptra and other dermal fillers popular in the Bay Area can effectively treat contour irregularities, thin lips, hollow cheeks and facial wrinkles. The results are only temporary, but some dermal fillers provide results for more than year.

Similar to Botox, treatment begins after the face has been cleansed and injection sites have been marked. In some cosmetic surgery cases, a topical anesthetic may be used to minimize injection pain. Immediately following treatment, the skin may be a little swollen, but results should be visible right away.

Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion is a powerful form of mechanical exfoliation gaining popularity in the Bay Area. Fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, age spots and superficial acne scarring can all see improvements from microdermabrasion.

A certified practitioner uses a diamond-tipped wand during cosmetic surgery to carefully remove the uppermost layer of dead skin cells from the face, chest and hands. Results can be seen after a single treatment – however a series of treatments is generally recommended. A typical treatment protocol will include six sessions spaced 10-14 days apart.

IPL Photofacial
Intense pulse therapy – otherwise known as an IPL Photofacial – can rejuvenate the skin by reducing signs of sun damage, fine wrinkles, age spots, broken capillaries and skin redness common in the Bay Area. Treatments are especially effective for evening out skin tone on the face, chest, neck and hands.

During treatment, a surgeon will use a handheld device to apply pulses of light to the treatment area. The light penetrates through the surface of the skin to target problem areas. A cooling mask is then applied to the skin, followed by high-quality sunblock. Optimal results are achieved over the course of three to five treatments spaced three weeks apart.

Learn More About Lunch-Time Cosmetic Surgery Treatments
Before you choose to undergo a procedure in the Bay Area, make sure to consult with a board certified plastic surgeon. During your consultation, you’ll have to opportunity to discuss your goals, the procedure’s risks and benefits and the type of results you can expect.
Cosmetic surgery enhancement has been around for a long time – but like the pace of modern life in the Bay Area, treatment times keep getting faster and faster. So fast that a number of procedures can even be completed over your lunch break.

Unwanted hair, uneven skin tone, fine lines and even wrinkles can be erased in hour or less with almost no downtime. Below we’ve identified four of the most popular “lunch-break” procedures:

Botox

Frown lines, crow’s feet and forehead wrinkles can all be remedied through Botox. Botox is a trade name for botulinum toxin A, a neurotoxin that blocks the signals that normally tell your muscles to contract. The result is wrinkle-free skin for three to six months.

Prior to treatment, the skin is cleansed and the injection sites are marked. In cosmetic surgery, a thin needle is then used to inject Botox beneath the surface of the skin. The results will begin to appear gradually over the course of a week. Repeat treatments will be needed to maintain results long term.

Dermal Fillers

Restylane, Juvederm, Sculptra and other dermal fillers popular in the Bay Area can effectively treat contour irregularities, thin lips, hollow cheeks and facial wrinkles. The results are only temporary, but some dermal fillers provide results for more than year.

Similar to Botox, treatment begins after the face has been cleansed and injection sites have been marked. In some cosmetic surgery cases, a topical anesthetic may be used to minimize injection pain. Immediately following treatment, the skin may be a little swollen, but results should be visible right away.

Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion is a powerful form of mechanical exfoliation gaining popularity in the Bay Area. Fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, age spots and superficial acne scarring can all see improvements from microdermabrasion.

A certified practitioner uses a diamond-tipped wand during cosmetic surgery to carefully remove the uppermost layer of dead skin cells from the face, chest and hands. Results can be seen after a single treatment – however a series of treatments is generally recommended. A typical treatment protocol will include six sessions spaced 10-14 days apart.

IPL Photofacial

Intense pulse therapy – otherwise known as an IPL Photofacial – can rejuvenate the skin by reducing signs of sun damage, fine wrinkles, age spots, broken capillaries and skin redness common in the Bay Area. Treatments are especially effective for evening out skin tone on the face, chest, neck and hands.

During treatment, a surgeon will use a handheld device to apply pulses of light to the treatment area. The light penetrates through the surface of the skin to target problem areas. A cooling mask is then applied to the skin, followed by high-quality sunblock. Optimal results are achieved over the course of three to five treatments spaced three weeks apart.

Learn More About Lunch-Time Cosmetic Surgery Treatments

Before you choose to undergo a procedure in the Bay Area, make sure to consult with a board certified plastic surgeon. During your consultation, you’ll have to opportunity to discuss your goals, the procedure’s risks and benefits and the type of results you can expect.
I wanted to update you on some very exciting news in the arena of facial fillers. The FDA has just approved Xeomin for the temporary improvement of moderate to severe glabellar lines (those unwanted vertical lines between the eyebrows). Other cosmetic treatments run the gamut of typical Botox uses: crinkles and wrinkles on forehead, laugh lines, and marionette lines.

This signifies the third serious Botox contender, with Dysport being the other Botox-style injectable. A possible improvement over the latter two, Xeomin is purer than both Dysport and Botox and may be slightly more comfortable to inject. Effects last for approximately 12 weeks or longer.

According to Merz Aesthetics, the manufacturer of Xeomin, the response rates seen in the Phase III clinical trials were extremely encouraging, and FDA approval was based on the results of two U.S. clinical trials involving 16 investigational sites and 547 healthy adults. In both studies, Xeomin significantly improved the appearance of glabellar lines 30 days following the first injection, when compared to a placebo.

Currently Xeomin is approved in 14 countries under the name Bocouture®, including Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain.

Xeomin will be available nationwide in the U.S. in the spring of 2012. It will be exciting to see how these results stack up to the competition, but thus far indications are very encouraging.
Yes this is perfectly safe – these two medications have the same basic active ingredient – hyaluronic acid, which is a clear gel normally found in the body and is highly compatible with our tissues. Mixing the two should not be a problem at all.
Costs vary depending on procedure. For Restylane, Perlane and Juvederm , the cost is $600 per syringe and usually the job can be done with one syringe alone. For the first visit to the office, we offer a 20% discount to new filler patients. These fillers generally last four to five months.
If the patient doesn’t want augmentation from fillers, there is a material called ‘hyaluronidase’ that can be used to dissolve it, which would be incur an additional fee. For fat grafting, each session costs about $4,000 (this includes getting a bit of fat through liposuction, the surgeon’s fee and also the fees for the anesthesiologist and the operating room). Permanent augmentation options are also available, and vary by price.

For more detailed information, please see my earlier post.