ENTtoday
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • Practice Focus
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Departments
    • Issue Archive
    • TRIO Best Practices
      • Allergy
      • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
      • Head and Neck
      • Laryngology
      • Otology/Neurotology
      • Pediatric
      • Rhinology
      • Sleep Medicine
    • Career Development
    • Case of the Month
    • Everyday Ethics
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Medical Education
    • Online Exclusives
    • Practice Management
    • Resident Focus
    • Rx: Wellness
    • Special Reports
    • Tech Talk
    • Viewpoint
    • What’s Your O.R. Playlist?
  • Literature Reviews
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • TRIO Meetings
  • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Triological Society
    • Advertising Staff
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • Rate Card
  • Search

Managing Expectations: Facial plastic surgeons emphasize the limits of injectable fillers

by Mary Beth Nierengarten • August 9, 2010

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

With the availability of noninvasive procedures that use injectable fillers to do the work surgery once monopolized, more people than ever before are seeking the elixir of youth that comes now at the end of a needle rather than a knife.

You Might Also Like

  • Is Autologous Fat Grafting Superior to Other Fillers for Facial Rejuvenation?
  • Facial Plastic Surgery Gains Popularity with Racial and Ethnic Minorities
  • Wound Management Following Facial Plastic Surgery
  • Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: New Patients, New Reasons, New Techniques
Explore This Issue
August 2010

For the physicians who wield this needle, communicating the risks of injectable fillers is critical, both to inform the patient of any potential negative outcomes and to modulate the patient’s expectation of what fillers can and cannot do about what nature has either eroded or neglected to give.

Along with educating patients about the number of products available and safely administering the product, Jonathan Sykes, MD, professor and director of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of California (UC) Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, Calif., and president-elect of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, emphasized that his job also involves talking about limitations. “There are some patients who want something that won’t work, or it may take more than one injection” he said. “My job is to provide two-way communication to find out what the patient wants.”

What the Patient Wants

Finding out what the patient wants is the first step in discussing the potential risks of fillers, because not fulfilling patient expectations is one of the risks.

“The first thing I try to do with patients is to get a concept of what they want to accomplish and what timeline they want to accomplish that in,” Dr. Sykes said.

Knowing the overall goals of each patient provides the foundation on which to discuss which fillers may or may not be appropriate and the potential risks of various fillers based on the agent used as well as their longevity (See “Complications of Injectble Fillers,” page 21).

“I listen to what concerns the patient, and if a filler is appropriate, I explain both the risks and the benefits,” said Hayes Gladstone, MD, associate professor and director of dermatologic surgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, Calif. For example, he said, if the patient wants lip augmentation, filler with hyluronic acid or collagen may be appropriate, while calcium hydroxylapatite could lead to lumpiness.

After selecting the appropriate filler and procedure, Dr. Gladstone then discusses with the patient the risks and benefits and provides a handout detailing these as well as the procedure itself. Included in the handout is a description of the most common fillers used and what they are best used for (see “Patient Education,” p. 21). When the patient comes in for the procedure, Dr. Gladstone again discusses the risks and benefits.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 | Single Page

Filed Under: Departments, Facial Plastic/Reconstructive, Practice Management Tagged With: facial, facial plastic surgery, injectable fillers, patient communication, patient education, patient safety, reconstructiveIssue: August 2010

You Might Also Like:

  • Is Autologous Fat Grafting Superior to Other Fillers for Facial Rejuvenation?
  • Facial Plastic Surgery Gains Popularity with Racial and Ethnic Minorities
  • Wound Management Following Facial Plastic Surgery
  • Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: New Patients, New Reasons, New Techniques

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

The Laryngoscope
Ensure you have all the latest research at your fingertips; Subscribe to The Laryngoscope today!

Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
Open access journal in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery is currently accepting submissions.

Classifieds

View the classified ads »

TRIO Best Practices

View the TRIO Best Practices »

Top Articles for Residents

  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Why More MDs, Medical Residents Are Choosing to Pursue Additional Academic Degrees
  • What Physicians Need to Know about Investing Before Hiring a Financial Advisor
  • Tips to Help You Regain Your Sense of Self
  • Should USMLE Step 1 Change from Numeric Score to Pass/Fail?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Experts Delve into Treatment Options for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
    • Weaning Patients Off of PPIs
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Eustachian Tuboplasty: A Potential New Option for Chronic Tube Dysfunction and Patulous Disease
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Podcasts Becoming More Popular Method of Education for Otolaryngologists
    • How to Embrace Optimism in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic
    • Tips on How to Approach Conversations with Patients about the COVID-19 Vaccine
    • Steps You Should Take to Protect Your Voice and Hearing During Telemedicine Sessions
    • Routine Postoperative Adjunct Treatments Unnecessary for Idiopathic Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks

Polls

Have you spoken with your patients about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Visit: The Triological Society • The Laryngoscope • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

Wiley
© 2021 The Triological Society. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN 1559-4939

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.