Voluma and Sculptra…Persky Sunder Facial Plastic Surgery Thoughts in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, and “The Valley”

“At Some Point in Every Woman’s Life She Must Choose Between Her Face or Fanny”

Catherine Deneuve

The most revolutionary concept in facial plastic surgery over the past 10 years is the appreciation that replacing volume in the face is rejuvenating. The most exciting fillers that we are using to sculpt and restore natural facial volume are Voluma and Sculptra. In December 2013 Voluma was FDA approved for restoring volume of the cheeks, lasting up to 2 years. For the past 4 years we have loved using Sculptra to restore volume and the heart shaped face of youth. Once full facial correction is reached with Sculptra, the effects last up to 2 to 4 years until maintenance is needed.

Patients are now asking, “What’s better Voluma or Sculptra?” Fortunately, they are both great. In the past few months since Voluma was introduced to the US market, we have been combining it with Sculptra. Voluma is excellent for immediately restoring cheek volume. By lifting the cheeks naturally, it is amazing how the lower eye tear tough hollow, the nasolabial folds, lower cheek lines, and even the jowls are improved. Voluma injections are relatively easy, quick, and comfortable. There is local anesthesia mixed in the Voluma syringe, and we use ice to distract the brain from sensing the injections. Patients wash their face with anti-bacterial soap prior to treatment. One to two syringes are most commonly used at the first visit. Immediate results are seen. There can be swelling for 1 to 3 days, and a minority of patients may have bruising for a few days. We see our patients about 10 to 14 days after their treatment for a face check, post-photos, and possible additional treatment.

Voluma can be used “off label” in other areas of the face but we prefer to use Sculptra in the rest of the face (Sculptra’s only on label use is for treatment of the naso-labial folds.) The amount of volume added with Sculptra is directly related to the number of injection sessions. Sculptra results are gradual over time, maintaining a natural appearance for our patients. Most patients receive 2

6 Months After Multiple Sculptra Sessions by Dr. Persky

vials of Sculptra at their first treatment. They are then seen 6 weeks later for photos and further treatment if needed. Once the patient reaches complete correction they are advised to return for maintenance Sculptra whenever they desire, usually between 1 to 4 years.

For patients who wish the ultimate in non-invasive, non-surgical facial and neck rejuvenation, we combine the use of Ultherapy, the only FDA approved for lifting and tightening the face, eyebrows, and neck (a micro-focused ultra-sound technology) with Voluma and/or Sculptra. In summary, it is wonderful to add a new revolutionary injectable product (Voluma) to the tried and true, safe and effective injectables we have used over the years.

The most important aspect of any facial aesthetic treatment is choosing your physician most carefully based on their artistic vision, skill, and experience to insure your best natural cosmetic results in the safest manner. Please feel free to contact us with any aesthestic questions that you or your friends and family may have. We look forward to the privilege of helping you achieve and maintain your facial aesthetic goals. Be well.

Dr. Persky treating patient

Dr. Michael Persky and Dr. Sarmela Sunder are located in Encino, California and Beverly Hills, California but service all of Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. Including, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Hancock Park, Brentwood, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Calabasas, Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Westlake, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, La Canada, Pasadena, and more. Please subscribe to our blog by clicking the link above, right, and “Like” us on Facebook. Thank you! + Michael Persky

“We all look good for our age. Except for our necks.”
Nora Ephron, “I Feel Bad About My Neck”

One of the most common complaints that our patients share with us is aging of their neck. According to Rod J. Rohrich, MD a plastic surgeon in Dallas, Texas at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, the aging features of the neck are: prominent banding, fullness, and wrinkles. Dr. Rohrich states, “When we see facial rejuvenation patients who are unhappy with the way they look, their necks are frequently one of the main things they express dissatisfaction about, along with the other two other features that help us guess people’s ages—eyes and lips.”

Nora Ephron begins her essay, “I feel bad about my neck. Truly I do. If you saw my neck, you might feel bad about it too, but you’d probably be too polite to let on. If I said something to you on the subject–something like “I absolutely cannot stand my neck”–you’d undoubtedly respond by saying something nice, like “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You’d be lying, of course, but I forgive you. I tell lies like that all the time–mostly to friends who tell me they’re upset because they have little pouches under their eyes or jowls, or wrinkles, or flab around the middle, and so I think they should have an eye job, or a face-lift, or Botox, or liposuction. My experience is that “I don’t know what you’re talking about” is code for “I see what you mean, but if you think you’re going to trap me into engaging on this subject, you’re crazy.”

The best non-invasive method to rejuvenate the aging neck combines therapies. Ultherapy utilizes ultrasound energy to lift and tighten the skin and muscles of the neck. In the last month, Ulthera has released new guidelines of neck treatment which includes adding 130% more pulses to the lower neck (all the way to the collar bone) on each side. Studies have shown that this treatment is safe, and adds even greater improvement of the neck over the previously used protocol. There is no downtime with the one-hour Ulthera office neck rejuvenation treatment. The cost of this new extended Ulthera neck treatment is $2500.

For crepe` neck skin wrinkles, Fraxel laser treatment with Fraxel 600 (a light fractionated CO2 laser skin resurfacing) is the answer. This non-surgical treatment leaves the skin of the neck red for about 5 to 7 days. Numbing anesthetic cream is used for one hour before the 15-minute laser treatment. It feels like a hot razor blade is shaving your skin during the treatment. Fortunately, there is no discomfort during the recovery period. The cost of Fraxel 600 on the neck is $1250.

Once the neck skin has been lifted and tightened with Ulthera, and the neck skin tone, texture, and color have been improved with Fraxel 600, the quality of the skin should be maintained with quality skin care products. At the recently held 2012 Cosmetic Surgery Forum at which Dr. Persky lectured, the consensus of aesthetic rejuvenation experts was that the use of Nectifirm along with retina. Nectifirm is a cream that helps neck skin appear firm and lifted, reduces the appearance of rough, crepey skin, and dramatically lessens the look of fine lines and wrinkles.

If you are interested in an Utherapy procedure, please schedule your consultation with Dr. Persky by calling (818) 501-3223. Join our newsletter to receive special offers & promotions exclusively available for subscribers. 

Nora Ephron ends her essay about her neck with “Of course it’s true that now that I’m older, I’m wise and sage and mellow. And it’s also true that I honestly do understand just what matters in life. But guess what? It’s my neck.”

Be well.

Dr. Michael Persky and Dr. Sarmela Sunder are located in Encino, California and Beverly Hills, California (The Lasky Clinic) but service all of Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. Including, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Hancock Park, Brentwood, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Calabasas, Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Westlake, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, La Canada, Pasadena, and more. Please subscribe to our blog by clicking the link above, right. Thank you!