I read a nice article in the Style magazine of this past Sunday’s New York Times. It described the benefits of a “liquid lift” as performed by Dr. Yan Trokel of NYC. Basically it described his approach and technique of using Botox® and multiple fillers to restore volume and build a refreshed youthful face. The main advantages being that it was done in the office with local anesthetic, took under 2 hours and had minimal post procedure discomfort or downtime. It was therefore also perfect for patients who are “surgery phobic” as there is no cutting or incisions. I found the article to be accurate and realistic in its descriptions of procedure, results and price. The problem is I don’t know many “real people” who can afford this or are willing to pay the maintenance for it. As described the procedure costs $4000-$8000. This is for filler and Botox® only. All of which disappear anywhere from 6-18 months. The article says it will last for up to one to two years with $2000 worth of touchups. I agree with this description as realistic. Unless you are a high earning executive or professional model/actor who absolutely can not have down time it’s hard to find the value here. You may be a person who doesn’t want to have a recovery period or are fearful of surgery, but most of us have to allocate the resources we have the best we can. Is no down time and discomfort for an 18 month result vs one to two weeks recovery for a result that will turn the clock back 15 years and last 1o years worth the same $8000? There are many wonderful techniques and treatments available now for facial rejuvenation. Due to the unique differences in each persons anatomy, lifestyle and aging pattern often a combination of these is the best way to approach the problem. Liquid lifts are great as you long as you understand and choose to accept the limitations on longevity and continued maintenance costs. I always recommend that a patient see a number of well trained and regarded physicians in the field to get some insight before they choose to “fit themselves to a procedure” and not the other way around.
