In this day and age, skincare and  aesthetic treatments are no longer just the realm of women. In fact, the new age men are spending more time taking care of their body and appearance, and willing to try out different ways to improve their overall appearance. First, it was the surge of men-centric grooming products, and now a growing number of aesthetic treatments targeted at men.

To get better insights, I approached Rexults Clinic, a pioneer in medical aesthetics since in 1993 for more information about Filler Injection – a common procedure for men to give them a more youthful look.

Rexults Clinic     interior setting      2016

Rexults Clinic Treatment Room

As we age, our skin gradually becomes thinner and less elastic. In addition to this, the volume of fatty tissue immediately beneath the skin decreases and we also lose facial muscle tone along with skeletal bone mass causing facial features to droop and sag. The loss of midface volume is a common sign of facial aging. This can lead to changes in the facial appearance, most noticeable being changes is the loss of cheekbone definition. When and how quickly these changes occur are largely determined by our genes, although they can be rapidly accelerated by smoking or sun exposure.

In recent times, volumizing fillers like Juvéderm® VOLIFT® with lidocaine, used at Rexults Clinic, have been used to provide a ‘lift’ without surgery. The aim is to restore volume in the midface for a natural, youthful, and more refreshed looking appearance.

What is Juvéderm® VOLIFT® with lidocaine?

Juvéderm® VOLIFT® with lidocaine is a new addition to Allergan’s next-generation dermal filler range, which delivers a natural look and feel and is excellent for smoothing nasolabial folds.

It has been developed using VYCROSS™ technology, which uses an innovative combination of low and high molecular weight HA to improve the cross-linking efficiency of HA chains. This more effective cross-linking allows for a lower concentration of HA to be used, delivering an ultra-smooth gel for a natural look and feel, minimal swelling and bruising, as well as improved duration.

Juvéderm® VOLIFT® with lidocaine has an estimated duration of 15 months.

 

Q&A with Dr Melvin Tan, Rexults Clinic

Dr Melvin Tan       Associate Doctor       Rexults Clinic      2016At Rexults, I met Dr Melvin Tan and asked him some questions about filler injections. Dr Tan is an expert in the field of filler injections and is one of only a few selected doctors officially appointed by Allergan™, the manufacturers of Juvederm® Injectible Fillers to be a physician trainer.

What are the most common request from your male patients when doing fillers?
Dr Tan: Really does depend on the needs and requirements of each patient. That being said, probably the most common area of focus in men is in the lower part of the face. Fillers are often used in this area to strengthen the jaw line and/or give prominence to the chin. Within the Asian population, nose enhancement is another very popular procedure, as well cheek filling which helps to provide better structure, lift and improve dark undereye shadows. With the recent emergence of the Korean aesthetic phenomenon, filling the upper face to improve forehead contour and prominence is another frequent request in the past 2 years or so.

Is it true that people who do fillers cannot go to hot saunas or it will get melted away?
Dr Tan: I don’t believe this is to be possible, as it would require very high temperatures localized in the deep skin layers for it to occur. Certainly this would not happen in a sauna-type environment as the outer skin surface would become severely burnt first. For 72 hours after a filler treatment however, I do ask my patients to avoid sauna, hot yoga and other over-strenuous/ dehydrating activities. The reason being that during this period the Hyaluronic Acid molecules within the filler draws in water, and I find this initial process often enhances the overall result.

In other words, enjoy the sauna, but only after 3 days.

How long do fillers generally last on a patient?
Dr Tan: Most fillers currently in the market last between 6 to 18 months.

Does the effect of fillers on filler depend on one’s metabolic rate; does being very active cause the fillers to go away faster?
Dr Tan: Everyone breaks down fillers at different rates. Also different areas on the face will have slight differences in the longevity of the filler product. In theory, being highly active could cause the fillers to break down faster. This is likely related to increased blood flow to the skin and excessive movement of the facial muscles. However I don’t believe there to be a significant difference and certainly the overall health benefits of being active and exercising regularly would outweigh this.

Some people have reported clumpy lumps from poor filler injections. Is there any special techniques performed at Rexults Clinic that ensure great results.
Dr Tan: Our preference is to inject the filler using a cannula (blunt tip needle). Not only does this help to deliver the product as accurately and uniformly as possible, the treatment process also becomes much more comfortable, with a lower risk of vascular injury and subsequent bruising.
I find the last 2 points particularly important in men, who are generally less accepting of both discomfort and downtime.

 

And now, testing it for real…

Now what better validation then seeing it myself (LOL!), and since I am at the clinic, Dr. Tan gave me an overall evaluation and suggested to inject some filler into my cheek to plump up my cheek for a more youthful appearance.

IMG_2949

The procedure started with 20 minutes on a numbing cream on the face, so as to reduce the discomfort during the procedure. Once the skin has numbed, Dr. Tan began to do some markings on my cheek to indicate where he was going to inject the filler. Because of the volume of the cheek, he used 1 full syringe per cheek, and the entire process was pretty painless (for me) though it felt a little strange when I feel the pulling and tucking as Dr. Tan tries to mold the filler inside my cheek.

The entire process took only about 15-20mins, and the result was instantaneous.  Take a look below and you can clearly see some volume on my cheek after the filler injection. IMG_2950And the best validation came…

They say that the best procedure is one that perks you up with a natural look, and this is especially so for men as we do not want to a #toomuchworkdone face. And my first validation came a week later when I attended a press event, and always bumping into peers and clients there. And the things is I got more than a handful of friends telling me I look really fresh and younger.

Haha… thanks! (Now I know who to credit this to.)

 

For more information about filler injection at Rexults, you can check out their website at rexultsclinic.com.