Seattle Face Lift and Rhinoplasty Specialist Cautions on "Injectable" Treatments

    FEDERAL WAY, WA, November 20, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Dr. Braden Stridde (www.psplasticsurgery.com/dr-stridde.cfm), a board-certified plastic surgeon serving Seattle, Tacoma and the entire Pacific Northwest, understands the lure of the "quick fix." While face lifts and rhinoplasty without surgery may sound appealing to many people, these procedures are performed with temporary injectable fillers, which provide improvements that are short lived compared to Seattle plastic surgery procedures and will not fully address many cosmetic concerns.

"Non-surgical treatments like the '15-Minute Nose Job' or 'Liquid Face Lift' sound good to patients because they are relatively inexpensive, require no surgery, and involve little to no recovery time," explains Dr. Stridde. "However, these non-surgical techniques are appropriate only in certain circumstances. These fillers were designed to correct wrinkles and superficial scars by replacing lost volume or increasing collagen production, and do a very good job at that."

For non-surgical rhinoplasty, an injectable filler like Restylane is injected into specific areas of the nose, such as the bridge or the tip, to correct or camouflage imperfections. Improvements last about a year, after which treatments must be repeated. They can be used to sculpt the nose by augmenting it, but they are not useful for removing unwanted bumps or humps. In addition, fillers cannot be used to make the nose smaller, which is one of the most common reasons for nose surgery.

"The improvements my Seattle area rhinoplasty patients see after surgery will last for many years or even a lifetime," says Dr. Stridde. "More lasting results require an upfront investment in terms of cost and downtime, but if you add up the price of repeated treatments and consider the limited capabilities of an injectable nose correction, the surgical option is often the better choice for many patients."

The situation is similar with the Liquid Face Lift, which can create a more youthful appearance by replacing lost volume with fillers. This treatment is most effective for younger patients with good skin elasticity. Older patients and those with very loose or sagging skin tissue are not likely to see the level of cosmetic improvement they are seeking with a non-surgical option alone.

"My patients find that a Seattle face lift can give them a refreshed yet natural appearance that lasts for years," Dr. Stridde explains. "Injectables can't effectively lift sagging facial tissues or improve skin texture."

Dr. Stridde concludes, "While it is tempting to choose non-surgical facial rejuvenation treatments for a face lift or nose surgery, I encourage patients to think carefully about both their short- and long-term goals. And no matter what treatment option you choose, be sure to select an experienced plastic surgeon who is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and who understands your unique facial anatomy."

About Puget Sound Plastic Surgery

At Puget Sound Plastic Surgery (www.psplasticsurgery.com), Braden Stridde, M.D., performs a wide range of today's most advanced cosmetic and reconstructive surgical procedures. Dr. Stridde is founder and Medical Director of the practice, which has been helping Seattle area women and men look their best since 1993. He received his Medical Doctorate from Northwestern University in Chicago, and continued his surgical training at multiple prestigious institutions from San Francisco to Scotland and from Dartmouth Medical School to the University of Washington. Dr. Stridde is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

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