Clinic offers new treatments to enhance youthful look
If we could all drink from the fountain of youth, we’d have plump, full lips and baby-fresh skin. While that fountain may not flow all the way to Calgary, Dr. Kristina Zakhary is doing her part to help.
At her Calgary office Zakhary, an Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgeon with special focus on Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, has introduced two procedures to help Calgarians fight the signs of aging. Here’s what you need to know about the treatments.
PERFECT PUCKERS As we age our lips lose hydration and fullness and the corners of our mouths start to turn downward. That’s why many people seek fillers to restore a youthful, full look. In the past, some lip fillers left a sausage-like look, though Dr. Zakhary says that is changing.
“More doctors are recognizing that the best way to give a patient natural results is to enhance what they already have, rather than trying to create something new,” she says.
“If you didn’t know better, you’d think that all lip filler treatments look fake.”
A new technique emerging among skilled physicians is based on enhancing the shape of the lip and Cupid’s bow, as opposed to simply inflating the overall lip size, says Dr. Zakhary.
“Using this technique creates a more natural looking lip, and most patients report that nobody can tell that they have had lip filler,” she says, adding that in her clinic she uses a type of filler that is very jelly-like and flexible in consistency, allowing her to create the most natural look possible.
“The filler is made of hyaluronic acid, which is a sugar that exists in our bodies, and the filler also contains an ingredient that helps to reduce the severity and duration of post-treatment swelling,” she says.
Results can last for about a year and the treatment ranges from $500 to $1,200.
BLOODY BRILLIANT
TREATMENT Made famous in a viral image of a bloody-faced Kim Kardashian, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) facials, also known as vampire facials, involve extracting a small amount of a patient’s own blood and spinning it in a centrifuge. The centrifuge extracts key factors such as platelets, the cells in the blood that help tissue to heal and grow new cells.
“The PRP, injected into specific areas of the skin, acts as a matrix that promotes your own collagen to grow, regenerates tissue and thus acts to naturally smooth and tighten the skin,” says Dr. Zakhary. “In this way, PRP helps to soften wrinkles and creates smoother skin texture and tone.”
The treatment, which takes about 30 minutes, is only mildly uncomfortable, says Dr. Zakhary. Patients are advised to take a day or two of downtime afterwards to let any mild swelling, redness or bruising to fade. Because PRP is made from the patient’s own cells, it virtually eliminates the possibility of negative side-effects.
Results begin to show three to four weeks after treatment and continue to improve for up to 18 months. Four to six treatments are recommended, spaced one to two months apart.
For more information, visit facialcosmeticsurgery.ca.