Paper by Richmond Associate Professor Dr. Bolton in Journal 'Skin Research and Technology'

30/01/2008

Paper by Richmond Associate Professor Dr. Bolton in Journal 'Skin Research and Technology'

'THE USE OF HIGH FREQUENCY ULTRASOUND IN THE ASSESSMENT OF INJECTABLE DERMAL FILLERS
S.R. YOUNG, P.A. BOLTON, J.DOWNIE

Summary of the research findings

The use of dermal fillers for enhancing lips and reducing wrinkles is currently one of the fastest growing sectors of plastic and reconstructive surgery. There are numerous fillers available, some are synthetic others are isolated from biological material. Once injected the fillers have a varied lifespan ranging from months to years depending upon the material, site of injection and individual response. Current assessment techniques of filler performance are mostly limited to evaluations of the skin surface topography, and not to what is happening to the filler beneath the skin surface. The aim of this work was to see if high frequency ultrasound could be used to image and measure filler dimensions in situ.

What this research demonstrated was that high frequency ultrasound scanning provides a non-invasive, convenient and rapid technique for the assessment of filler performance. More specifically:

• The ultrasound can image the filler material from which quantitative measurements can be made.
• The technique is rapid and cost effective.
• This investigation helped to reinforce the volunteer’s perception of the filler effect.

Link to this page: http://www.richmond.ac.uk/n/424.aspx