Category: Scientific Activity

Plastic surgeons and dermatologists are armed with new “weapons” in their fight against aging, thanks to technological advances. These new tools are less invasive than before but should always be handled by experienced doctors on those patients who meet the indications. The most important thing is that the treatment is tailor-made for every person. In general, there are solutions to almost all aesthetic problems. Below we will give you some examples of a holistic approach which offers you a refreshed, natural and glowing facial skin that boosts your psychology. Who doesn’t need such a thing, especially today?

How does this happen?

Wrinkles, volume and elasticity loss: If wrinkles and loss of elasticity and volume are problems for you, the ideal treatments include a combination of injectables (anti-wrinkle and muscle relaxant injections and hyaluronic acid) with a new technique that we named Sfumato, in order to honour genious Leonardo da Vinci who used it to create his masterpieces. With this technique he created visual effects to make lines, shadows and sharp borders on the face disappear so that they looked more youthful. We aim at achieving the same thing by injecting hyaluronic acid in multiple levels, in combination with the anti-wrinkle and muscle relaxant injections. In this way we also improve the elasticity by injecting superficially a less dense hyaluronic acid product with a smart syringe in the face, neck, décolleté and hands. You will only need 1-2 visits to see a long lasting result immediately.

Dull skin: If the indication is a dull skin, mild skin laxity and tired face with signs of aging and wide pores the solution is combination therapies: The first includes 2 sessions of microdermabrasion with a diamond tip which removes painlessly the superficial skin layer offering it glow and smoothing out any wrinkles, acne scars and signs of photoaging. The second type of treatment is the new generation mesotherapy which is almost painless. The key ingredients include hyaluronic acid, antioxidants and firming agents. All of them penetrate the skin with the help of a special roller with 540 small needles. At the same time they stimulate the growth of fibroblasts and the production of collagen and elastin. The results are immediate.

On the other hand, those who want to take advantage of the natural substances that live in our body, can undergo the autologous mesotherapy (PRP). The doctor injects their own blood plasma in the problematic areas. This has proven to contribute to tissue regeneration and skin refreshment. The PRP mesotherapy can be performed on the face and the body and the result is visible immediately. The skin is firmer for up to 4 months.

Skin laxity: If skin laxity on the face, neck and body is more severe you need something more drastic. That is why we use the new generation radiofrequencies which can offer skin firmness from the first session, completely painlessly. The heat that is caused by the radiofrequencies changes the metabolism of fibroblasts resulting in collagen production. At the same time the treatment makes the fat cells shrink leading to gradual reduction of adipose tissue stores (for example double chin, reduction of the arms circumference, the thighs, etc.). You will need 4-5 sessions on the face per week, 6 on the body and 1 session to maintain the results.

Can someone start the injectable treatments at a certain age?
“There is no specific age for this, but there are certain indications. The injectables are mainly required in our 30s. However, someone may need to have such a treatment earlier, for example a 25 year old woman who needs a refreshed face or wants to improve the cellulite she has”.

In which cases are the anti-wrinkle and muscle relaxant injections used? In the press we read that the famous actress Sharon Stone tried Botox to fix her child’s hyperhidrosis on feet.
“The usual and more regular use of the anti-wrinkle and muscle relaxant injections is the smoothing out of facial and neck dynamic wrinkles (expression wrinkles) but its action extends to the control of hyperhidrosis as well as the treatment of muscle spasm (for example blepharospasm, torticollis, migraine)”.

Is a face with no wrinkles the goal or is this a medical mistake?
“The face is the most visible and exposed body part, our mirror, and this is why it should always be in harmony with the rest of the body and our age. A refreshed face is not motionless or plumpy/swollen. It should always be in harmony with the body. Our eyes are trained to recognize what is not normal. The latter is never attractive. This is why to my mind exaggerations are inacceptable, even if the patient asks for them”.

How can you decide the ideal quantity allowing the face and the patient to make deep wrinkles disappear?
“This procedure is usually gradual. The first time that I will perform the treatment on a patient, I will give the injection which, according to my experience, will offer a satisfactory result. The patient returns after two weeks that the action of the substance has been completed and then I check the result with her. If necessary, I add some material and improve the result keeping into account that it should look natural. The reaction and the problem of every patient is unique and this is why the treatment should be customized and gradual. I prefer the most conservative dosage, because I can add but not remove in case of an unnatural result. I always write down the patient’s medical history in every detail, what I have done and I keep a personal photographic archive. In this way I know the next time what I must do in every detail”.

In how many days will I see the results?
“The action of the drug usually starts within 3-4 days and is completed in two weeks”.

Are there women in the media who are over 30 years old and have never tried an injectable treatment?
“Yes, why not? Genes and lifestyle play a very important role in our looks. A person after 40 may also need to get injections no matter if he/she is working in the media”.

Who shouldn’ t do them?
“The contraindications are very few and that is why injectables are a very famous treatment. They should mainly be avoided by patients with autoimmune diseases of the muscles or by those who are in a pharmaceutical therapy with antibiotics”.

Tell us about hyaluronic acid. Where do you use it and under what conditions?
“Hyaluronic acid is a natural substance of our body. To be more specific, it is a hydrophilic protein, component of the true skin or chorion. Hyaluronic acid used in the injectable treatments is made in the laboratories and it is biocompatible.

We use it to improve the wrinkles or the volume loss on the face, neck, décolleté, hands etc. We mainly inject it in the lower third of the face to improve nasolabial folds, starting from the base of the nose and extend to the outer corner of the mouth, the marionette lines starting from the corners of the mouth to the chin, the correction of the deep wrinkles on the glabella, the smoker lines (the vertical lines around the lips) and the under eye hollows. It also helps us add volume to the lips and improve their contour. We use it to add volume to cheekbones and define the facial contour too”.

What complications can someone have from the injectables?
“The most usual are mild oedema which lasts 1-2 days and maybe some bruising which goes away in a few days. Of course they are covered with makeup. In case the patient can touch it, we can easily smooth it out with massage”.

We often notice that when some celebrities smile their face remains frozen. Why does this happen?
“I am against any exaggerations which give a fake look, especially to those people who are public figures. These examples should be avoided. The ideal result is something natural which is not visible by non-professionals”.

When a woman gets a facelift, should she continue receiving injections?
“Yes, she may have to go on with them, especially with the anti-wrinkle and muscle relaxant injections, because dynamic wrinkles do not usually improve with plastic surgery”.

Which specialties can perform injectable treatments?
“Any experienced and well trained plastic surgeons and dermatologists”.

Up to what age can a man or a woman use injectables;
“As we said age is something so personal and it may have nothing to do with the way a face looks. There are men and women who have a very youthful skin even in their 50s, because they get injectable treatments early enough so that their wrinkles do not seem worse”.

Women seem to have loved a lot these substances. True or false?
“Maybe that’s true, as women are more sensitive with their looks. However, the last years you will see lots of men going to a doctor’s office to improve their appearance with injectables”.

To conclude, please mention some misinformation about injectables.
“There was and still is a lot of misinformation about injectables mainly about botulinum toxin. After 20 years that this pharmaceutical substance has been used and has been proven to be safe and effective, the best way to be convinced is to visit a plastic surgeon or dermatologist performing the injectables and ask to be informed”.

Some myths about them are the following:
1. Do injectables change our characteristics?
Only their misuse.

2.If you stop the injectable treatment, will your face be worse than before?
This is not true! On the contrary, the systematic treatments improve the face and offer long lasting results, even if you suddenly stop them.

3. The more we cancel the treatments the better?
No, the opposite is true. Starting early is a kind of prevention and offers better results.

4. Are these treatments costly?
No, they are very economical.

During the downtime period, some women realise that their hips may be thinner, but they have dimples and uneven texture which looks like cellulite. According to many doctors this is not due to liposuction.

The orange peel look appears on the upper layer of the epidermis, where the plastic surgeon does not intervene. The factors that cause cellulite are genetics, hormones, lack of exercise and bad nutrition (fast food, sugar etc). That’s why this problem also affects thin women.

What the expert says
According to plastic surgeon Dr Rodopoulou “the dimples and the uneven skin surface that a woman may notice after liposuction are not cellulite. They are unwanted side effects which don’t occur often and are not expected. In fact they happen when the procedure is not performed carefully and there is excess fat removal from an area of the body. The creases may occur when there is skin laxity and may become more visible after liposuction”.
Dr Rodopoulou adds: “In any case, the liposuction procedure which is performed with the BodyTite radiofrequencies and the CelluTite tip helps a lot in these situations, as the doctor places it more superficially in order to treat cellulite”. Finally, as Dr Rodopoulou mentions, the dimples can be treated e.g. with injecting a filler.

LPG’s revolutionary anti-aging facial technique, known as New Endermolift, was introduced for the first time in Greece to journalists and French representatives of the famous French brand LPG, on November 15, 2013.

This new patented anti-aging method which is 100% natural was launched at Kosmesis aesthetic plastic surgery centre. The technique stimulates fibroblasts and increases skin firmness of face, neck and décolleté. The new innovative ERGOLIFT™ head is based on MPF*, the exclusive and patented LPG technology and boosts tissue stimulation by 270%1.

The recent study conducted by Professor Philippe Humbert (University Hospital of Besançon – France, 2013) is unique, as it is based on 20 different facial biopsies2. It revealed that the
natural hyaluronic acid synthesis is increased by 80% and elastin by 46%, wrinkles are diminished by 21%, skin firmness is increased by 23%, black circles and under-eye bags are decreased by 15% and 19% respectively. Similarly, the skin is restored and is twice as radiant.

*MPF: Motorized Pulsating Flaps.

(1) Source: 2013 Philippe Humbert’s study carried out on 20 women and 10 men from 35 to 50 years old. The results’ effectiveness is compared to LPG’s previous LIFT technology.

(2) Skin biopsy: skin sample taken from half the side of the face-the one which was treated- using a needle or trocar, then examined under a microscope.