Applied anatomy of the layers and soft tissues of the forehead during minimally-invasive aesthetic procedures.

BACKGROUND: An increasing demand of minimally-invasive aesthetic procedures of the forehead concomitantly leads to higher numbers of adverse events. Adequate application of anatomical knowledge is required to increase safety and efficacy of different minimally-invasive aesthetic procedures in this anatomical region. OBJECTIVE: To describe the layered anatomy of the forehead soft tissues with respect to their thicknesses and how they relate to different minimally-invasive aesthetic treatments. METHODS: A total of n = 85 healthy study participants (69 females and 16 males) with a mean age of 40.84 ± 10.9 years and a mean body mass index of 22.65 ± 2.6 kg/m2 were investigated with ultrasound-based imaging to measure the thickness of different forehead soft tissues. RESULTS: The mean overall soft tissue thickness of the forehead was measured to be 4.18 ± 0.7 mm for the entire study population. Increasing BMI values correlated statistically significantly with increasing thickness of all measured forehead soft tissues with exception of the frontalis muscle. On a statistically significant level, males showed thicker forehead soft tissues than females, with exception of the retrofrontalis fat and the frontalis muscle. CONCLUSION: On basis of the findings obtained in this study, basic treatment principles can be derived and improved for the injection of neuromodulators, hyaluronic acid as well as the application of polydiaxonane (PDO) threads and micro-focused ultrasound. Precise knowledge and thorough understanding of the layers and soft tissues of the forehead is required to guarantee safe and effective procedures in this aesthetically important facial region.

Improvement of Facial Skin Laxity by a Combined Technique With Hyaluronic Acid and Calcium Hydroxylapatite Fillers: A Clinical and Ultrasonography Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Facial aging involves skeletal changes, loss of volume in the fat compartment, and skin component changes. The current objective of cosmetic facial filling is to reestablish the overall aspect that was lost during the aging process. Hyaluronic acid (HA) and calcium hydroxyapatite (CaHA) fillers are indicated for facial rejuvenation, and these agents promote dissimilar effects regarding volume restoration and dermal biostimulation. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess clinical and ultrasonographic improvements in facial skin laxity using a technique that combines the injection of HA and CaHA. METHODS: A 120-day follow-up, quasi-experimental study was conducted based on the enrollment of fifteen women (36–47 years old) with mild face flaccidity scores who underwent subcutaneous injection of up to 3 mL of HA (zygomatic-malar region, pyriform aperture, temporal region, and jaw) followed by 3 mL of 1:1 diluted CaHA using a fan technique (temporal, zygomatic-malar, and jaw regions). OBJECTIVE: Adverse effects were registered, and the monthly assessed outcomes included clinical improvement, satisfaction, and high-frequency ultrasonography (dermal thickness) parameters. RESULTS: At 120 days of follow-up, clinical assessment by blinded physicians yielded six (40%) very improved patients and nine (60%) exceptionally improved patients. All the participants were highly satisfied with the results and reported exceptional improvement. Dermal thickness increased 11.1% (8.8–13.4%), and augmented dermal homogeneity was evidenced by ultrasonography. Local adverse effects were mild and transient. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the combined technique with HA and CaHA fillers was well-tolerated and yielded high satisfaction and safe improve in facial skin laxity and dermal thickness in women with mild midface aging. J Drugs Dermatol. 2022;21(1): 102-106. doi:10.36849/JDD.633.

Frontal edema due to mesotherapy for androgenetic alopecia: A case series.

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common form of non-cicatricial alopecia in both genders. Currently approved drugs for the treatment of AGA include topical minoxidil in women and topical minoxidil and oral finasteride in men. Other routes of administration of approved drugs have been proposed to enhance therapeutic results for AGA, including intradermal injections, known as mesotherapy. Mesotherapy-or intradermotherapy-is a non-surgical procedure, consisting of multiple intradermal injections of pharmacological substances diluted in small doses. Although minimally invasive, mesotherapy may be related to mild side effects like burning, erythema and headaches, as a few reports indicate. Among the most serious adverse events, subcutaneous necrosis, scalp abscesses, and angioedema have been described. This multicenter retrospective, descriptive study aims to report 14 cases of frontal edema resulting from mesotherapy for AGA treatment. In our patients, the edema mostly arose in the first two sessions and lasted between 1 and 4 days, with a favorable outcome after a local cold compress. In all our cases of edema, lidocaine was the anesthetic used. Minoxidil and dutasteride might also play a role as causative agents. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest case series focused on frontal edema after mesotherapy for AGA and gives clinicians helpful information for when performing this technique. Dermatologists should already consider and be conscious of this possible mesotherapy side effect, as it can be remarkably disruptive to affected patients.

Septal Ulcer After Nasal Filling with Hyaluronic Acid.

Nonsurgical rhinoplasty is a good treatment choice when surgery is not a viable option. However, serious complications, including blindness or cerebral ischemia, can occur given this area is one of external and internal carotid anastomosis. Here, we describe a case of a patient with a septum ulcer secondary to local ischemia postnasal fillling with hyaluronic acid without skin lesion. Due to the rarity of the condition, her diagnosis was made late, but she was treated with hyaluronidase and showed total resolution.

Ultrasound-guided poly-l-lactic acid nodule excision: The importance of the injector ultrasonographic experience.

The possibilities for facial and body treatments are wide, but when it comes to treatment for the cervical region, the options are more restricted and among them, the use of poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) stands out. PLLA is used for collagen biostimulation and improvement of skin turgor with good results; however this procedure is not free of complications, and for the treatment of these, a correct diagnosis is essential. As it is esthetic medicine, the guarantee of results requires that complications are not tolerated, and thus, any resource that enriches the diagnostic and therapeutic arsenal is of great value. The objective of this study is to report the diagnosis of a PLLA nodule with the help of high-frequency ultrasound, establishing a clinical, radiological, and histopathological correlation, in a patient submitted to PLLA injection for esthetic improvement of the cervical region. We present a case in a female patient presenting a nodule in the cervical region after the application of PLLA, where we performed the excision guided by high-frequency ultrasound. Mastering the diagnostic technique with high-frequency ultrasound can play a valuable role in indicating early surgical exeresis, also contributing to complete patient care. It allows the application of the product, monitoring, diagnosis of the complication, and treatment to be carried out dynamically and precisely by the injector.