Aesthetic enhancement doesn’t always involve surgical procedures. Some of our patients achieve very satisfying results with injectable treatments that can be performed in just a few minutes in our San Francisco office. The treatment sessions are relatively comfortable, and patients can resume their daily schedule as soon as treatment is over. With an assortment of products to choose from, Dr. Maas and his staff can address nearly any cosmetic concern you might have.
Some wrinkles develop because of facial expressions, such as persistent smiling or squinting. These lines are known as dynamic wrinkles that require special treatment to minimize.
Other facial lines are a result of collagen depletion in the underlying dermal structure, which is a natural part of the aging process. As this essential protein diminishes, skin becomes loose and facial creases form, often around the mid and lower face. These lines are usually best addressed with dermal fillers that restore support to the dermal layers and smooth away wrinkles from the inside out. These products include:
While wrinkle reduction is often the first draw of cosmetic injections, the benefits these products offer are more far-reaching. Volume restoration, whether to plump up lips or add definition and fullness to the midface, can also be accomplished through injectables. Dr. Maas features numerous formulations for this purpose, although Voluma tends to be the most popular product for facial volume while Restylane Silk is often the product of choice for plumping up the lips.
Browse GalleryTo address a wide range of concerns, the cosmetic injections we offer feature an assortment of active ingredients:
Hyaluronic acid – A substance also found in the body; hyaluronic acid fillers produce smooth, natural results in every area of the face. Juvederm, Restylane, and Belotero all have hyaluronic acid as their base. Some formulations use unique crosslinking technology that makes for even smoother, more durable results.
Calcium Hydroxylapatite Microspheres – Also known as CaHA, this substance forms a scaffold within the dermal structure that promotes the production of additional collagen. Patients enjoy positive results immediately following the procedure and for many months afterward.
Poly-L-Lactic Acid – Found in the filler, Sculptra, this substance works differently than other ingredients in dermal fillers. The poly-L-lactic acid stimulates collagen production, creating positive results over time. Because the filler activates the body’s natural anti-aging process, the regenerative effects are both gradual and long-lasting.
Botulinum A Toxin – This ingredient is contained in our wrinkle relaxer formulations, due to its ability to ease muscle activity without compromising their ability to function naturally. Only trace amounts of the substance are required to reverse signs of aging and create a more youthful appearance.
Cosmetic injections offer temporary results, which means the treatment will need to be regularly repeated to maintain your positive outcome. The duration will vary considerably depending on the formulation used and the treatment area.
Wrinkle relaxers tend to last three to four months, while dermal fillers may extend anywhere from six months to two years. Dr. Maas and his staff will advise you on how long you can expect your treatment outcome to last at your initial consultation. By scheduling regular sessions, you can keep your new look as long as you like without interruption.
Cosmetic injections are one of the most popular methods of aesthetic enhancement today due to their speed, comfort and ability to address a wide range of concerns. If you would like to learn more about any of these treatments, call (415) 567-7000 or contact us by email today.
Bruising is the most common side effect, which happens anytime a needle passes even the smallest blood vessel. Dr. Maas will provide you instructions to avoid the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like Advil and Aspirin in order to prevent significant bruising. The use of ice prior to injection will also help constrict the small blood vessels.
The puffy or “blown-up” look that some patients see after fillers is often just a result of poor technique. When applied with skill and care, patients should achieve a natural restoration of facial contours rather than a pulled or overly tight result.
Infection or granulomas are exceedingly rare, and often the case of poor injection techniques. That is why you need to visit a licensed expert practitioner when seeking treatments with these products.
Dr. Maas prefers Hyaluronic Acid-based fillers for lip augmentation, because they are reversible, adjustable, and provide soft and natural results when used properly.
In order to answer this question accurately, Dr. Maas will first need to examine your lips and the condition they are in, learn more about your expectations, and most importantly what you want. For some patients, it might just be filling the little lines that develop around the lips. For other patients, it might be addressing the marionette lines that form around the corners of the mouth. Or, it might be that you’re after fuller lips. Dr. Maas will then be able to lay out a menu of options to address your concerns based on your budget, for you to decide on. The different fillers all have comparable costs, but remember that you are also paying for the skill and experience of the injector as well.
While we can use fillers to enhance the philtral ridges, or the portions of the lip that make up the Cupid’s Bow, there’s no specific way to create a Cupid’s Bow in isolation with fillers alone. A lip lift is a surgical procedure that can help. Dr. Maas will usually not make the incision along the lip border, but rather hide them inside the nostril, right along the border of the nostril rim, and the columella (the skin between the nostrils). Because there no one lip type or shape that makes the lip attractive, Dr. Maas believes it’s most important to address the relative proportions of the lip, and will take the time to educate each patient about their options.
Dr. Maas’ patients very rarely see more than pinpoint bruising that wears off quickly, so if you’re seeing significant swelling, asymmetry and hard lumps in your lips post-filler, it is important to get it treated. The beauty of the Hyaluronic Acid formulations in fillers like Restylane, Juvederm, Perlane and Belotero, is the fact that they are completely reversible with a little injection of an enzyme for patients with over-treated lips. Symmetry and balance are very important concepts in lip enhancement and the keystone of a natural result, and Dr. Maas will be able to help patients fix their look by selecting the right materials and injecting them with proper techniques.
The answer depends entirely on the results you’re after. Different filler formulations have different textures, stiffness and levels of water-loving Hyaluronic Acid molecules, which goes some way to affecting your look. More importantly however, are the techniques used rather than the product chosen. Lip augmentation is an art, and whatever your desired look, Dr. Maas will be able to accurately place the right filler to sculpt a naturally beautiful result.
For people with small to moderately sized lips, Dr. Maas will typically use 0.5 ml to 1 ml of fillers to enhance the vermillion border of the lips. For those with larger lips, up to 1.5 ml of filler can be used. Because getting a beautiful and natural looking result is important to Dr. Maas, he believes in building volume rather than overdoing extreme amounts of filler.
Fine lines occur in the dermis (the second layer of the skin), and create little ‘H’ lines best exemplified by the ones we see around the lips, at the corners of the eyes, and in the forehead area between the brows.
In the upper face, fine lines are best treated with neuromodulators like Botox, Dysport, or Xeomin, By relaxing the overactive musculature that push the skin into these lines when we squint, frown, or raise our brows, it addresses the root of the problem.
Fillers are best used around the lips where relaxing the muscles would affect speech and your ability to sip from a straw, and to further correct lines that are so deep that no amount of muscle relaxing will smooth them out. As a leader in this field, Dr. Maas has performed extensive comparative studies and largely uses Belotero or Restylane Silk for the addressing of fine lines, due to their thinner and more malleable formulations.
The ultimate treatment for fine lines overall involves skin resurfacing. While dermabrasion was popular in the 80s and 90s, nowadays deep chemical peels and laser skin resurfacing are the preferred methods of selectively injuring the skin surface, to stimulate collagen production. The wound healing process results in a more youthful architecture of the skin itself, smoothing out fine lines as the underlying foundation is reformed with new cells. While up to a week of downtime may be necessary depending on the method of skin resurfacing used, the improvement to the skin can last for a very long time.
At the Maas ClinicTM, we offer many modalities for treating fine lines, and the best way to determine what will work for you is to schedule a consultation with Dr. Maas today.
Like the smile lines that form between the corner of the nose and mouth, in areas where the soft tissues are pulled downward by gravity, they will invariably hit a platform where the skin is closely attached to the underlying muscle. As tissue builds up, steep curvatures appear in the form of every deepening wrinkles.
To soften the transition between the cheek and the lip, under the eyes, or around the lip and the chin, a surgical lift can be beneficial in the long term. Non-surgical alternatives include suture lifts like the Silhouette Insta-Lift, or facial fillers. Dr. Maas is on the forefront of the best filler techniques and formulations, and provides a wide range of options for patients depending on their aesthetic goals and needs. From stimulatory fillers like Radiesse and Sculptra to Hyaluronic Acid fillers like the Belotero, Juvederm and Restylane family, he will help you find the right product to naturally rejuvenate your facial features.
Some patients have asked us about mixing different neuromodulators to take advantage of the subtle differences between them in hopes of achieving better results. With no controlled trials looking at mixing these products, Dr. Maas generally advises against doing so. Theoretically it could lead to the body more quickly producing antibodies that recognize the ingredients of these injectables as foreign invaders, prevent you from getting the results you want. Instead, he will work with you to pick and choose the right injectable for your needs.
Before you come in for your consultation, Dr. Maas would like to see photographs of your face, some pictures of your younger self, and get to know a bit more about your concerns. These photographs are to Dr. Maas what an EKG is to a cardiologist – a baseline to measure success again. During your consultation, he will take the time to assess your features and discuss your aesthetic goals.
For your comfort, we will apply a specially compounded topical numbing cream to reduce the sting of the injection needle. It reaches peak effectiveness after 30 minutes, so we kindly request you schedule sufficient time for your appointment. The cream will be removed before the injection, and you will be able to reapply any makeup afterward.
Please avoid non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like Ibuprofen, Advil and Aspirin, as they increase your chances of bruising and swelling.
Patients having fillers with immediate results performed will be photographed after their session, and for patients getting neuromodulator injections, 2 weeks after your procedure Dr. Maas would like to see you again for a quick check, and to get images of your face in various expressions, including smiling, squinting, and raising your brows. This will help him measure your outcomes and ensure you get the best possible results he can achieve.
At The Maas ClinicTM, we want you to have a good experience and the perfect outcome, as Dr. Maas considers it a great honor that you’ve trusted us with your care and your appearance. If things aren’t perfect, let us know immediately and we will do all we can to ensure you are happy with your results.