Use of Microcannulas:  A Revolution in My Practice Using Fillers

Use of Microcannulas: A Revolution in My Practice Using
FillersMany of my patients who have been with me for many
years have witnessed the revolution in techniques that I have developed for
injectable
fillers.  Early on I started with rudimentary needle
injections.  I then progressed to larger cannulas that I adapted from
fat
grafting and that required regional nerve blocks so that there
would not be discomfort.  However, this led to more swelling and also
was not as precise since the block would limit my ability to read the
face.  I then switched back over to needles using a “depot”
method in which the product was carefully placed as a bleb then massaged into
place so that there would be less bruising and swelling.<!–

Microcannulas have
revolutionized my practice in the injection of facial cosmetic
fillers/injectables

–>Since November of 2010, I started to use
small French microcannulas that have literally changed my entire practice of
filler
injections.  When I initially reviewed the training video I
was disgusted to see how much discomfort was being caused by the
injector.  I hate patient discomfort so I modified the technique with
minimal discomfort and no blocks.  I now can get up right into the tear
trough without the significant risk of bruising when I used needles and with
much greater accuracy (without the need for regional nerve blocks) than when
I used larger cannulas.Over the past 8 months, I have truly created new and
better ways to do advanced injections including initially injecting the temples
with these cannulas starting in March of this year followed by techniques for
filling brows (which almost no patient understands why I want to do this but
is typically followed by an “Oh my God, I look good” exclamation as
soon as I do it.)  Then in the past two months I have started using
Japanese microcannulas that allow me to pass the much thicker Bellafill(Artefill)
product exactly as I have done for Restylane,
as mentioned above.  I am very happy to report my patient satisfaction
has shot through the roof, along with my own satisfaction of the
results.Samuel M. Lam, MD, FACS is a board certified facial plastic surgeon
in Dallas, Texas. To learn more about Dr Lam’s plastic surgery
procedures please call to schedule a consultation. If you would like to
ask Dr Lam a question about facial fillers
please visit our forum about fillers.