The New Approach to Injectables – Keeping Some Wrinkles for Character

By Amy Hill

Published on April 15, 2007

Collagen, fat injections, BOTOX® Cosmetic, Radiesse™ – the list of available injectable wrinkle treatments keeps growing as more and more products gain FDA approval. Now that the resources are available to eliminate virtually every facial line and sign of aging, many cosmetic surgeons are advising their patients to keep some of their wrinkles.

Many cosmetic surgeons and their patients have come to realize that a face with some wrinkles tends to have more character and look more natural than a face that is entirely free from wrinkles. This has led some surgeons to offer individualized treatment plans that allow patients to choose which wrinkles to keep and which to eliminate.

In an article that appeared in the August 2006 issue of Vogue, author Dodie Kzanjian spoke with Rod Rohrich about this new approach to wrinkle treatment. Rohrich, chairman of plastic surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, agreed that the goal of wrinkle treatment should not be to remove all wrinkles.

“It’s good to have some wrinkles around your eyes and your laugh lines, even a few around your lips,” said Rohrich. “Otherwise you look operated on, stupid, inappropriate.”

The consensus among prominent cosmetic surgeons like Rohrich is that a face void of wrinkles looks overdone, blank, and fake, while the presence of some wrinkles helps to preserve a person’s unique character.

Of course, cosmetic surgeons are still able to use a variety of methods to eliminate, or at least substantially reduce the appearance of, each and every wrinkle. However, by applying injectable wrinkle treatments to selected areas of the face while leaving other areas untreated, it is possible for people soften the signs of aging while keeping the character they have developed the course of their lives.

Comment on this article →