New Non-Surgical Approaches to the FaceNew Non-Surgical Approaches to the FaceNew Non-Surgical Approaches to the FaceNew Non-Surgical Approaches to the FaceForget the costs and possible complications for a minute, one of the biggest reasons that patients don't want to undergo cosmetic surgery is because it's surgery. No matter how you look at it, there's going to be pain, some nausea or grogginess, and you won't feel like yourself for at least a couple days afterwards. Then once you get past all of that, you’re left with a little scar to remember it by.

Now sometimes that doesn't matter; the positives outweigh all of the other stuff, but in many cases having a non-surgical alternative is much more desirable. So when Dr. Alexander Rivkin developed his "Non-Surgical Nose Job" a couple years ago his response was phenomenal, attracting media attention and patients from across the globe.

Now he has expanded on his non-surgical success and taken a minimally invasive approach to facial cosmetics to a whole new level. "Basically I’ve based my practice around non-surgical alternatives to common cosmetic surgery procedures," says Dr. Rivkin.

Financially accessible as well as non-invasive, the non-surgical alternatives that Dr. Rivkin has developed for the areas of the chin, cheek and eyes are positioned to expand on the success of the non-surgical nose job and re-shape how many consumers look at facial cosmetic enhancement. The procedure costs $1,000 (for any one area) and includes all follow up visits and touch ups. Traditional surgery will cost five to six times as much (even more in some cases).

How it's done

All of these procedures use the common injectable filler Radiesse. The procedure is done at Dr. Rivkin's in-office treatment facility and takes a mere 10-15 minutes to complete.

After application of a topical anesthetic to numb the treatment area, Radiesse is injected at predetermined points to help create the desired shape and contour. And that’s about it. Patients will be able to return to work almost immediately, though they may experience some swelling or redness (this usually goes away on its own within the first few weeks).

When Non-Surgical is a Better Option

Because the results of Radiesse will only last around one and a half to two years, the non-surgical option will only be a desirable option for those not looking for permanent results, or that want to see what a new chin or new cheeks will look like before undergoing more permanent surgery.

In some cases, the injectable filler option may offer the results you want while other materials such as chin and cheek implants may pose some limitations.  "Instead of having one implant that makes everybody’s chin one way, with the injection I can do whatever I want with the chin," says Dr. Rivkin. “Some people need a chin that comes out more, some people need a chin that comes down more, some people need a chin that's more square, some people want a chin that's more pointy. You can do all that with the injection which you can't really do with the implant."

Before	After Non-Surgical Chin Enhancement and Non-Surgical Nose Job Performed by Dr. Alexander Rivkin

The Negatives of Non-Surgery

The most obvious downside to a non-surgical chin or cheek enhancement is that after 2 years the results will have faded and you have to go through the procedure again. In addition to this there is the possibility of swelling and excessive redness that lasts longer than one week. Though Dr. Rivkin has seen no permanent complications, there are a few instances where patients will have to undergo minor laser treatment to remove redness around the injection.

The Future of the Non-Surgical Procedures

Within the next year a new product called Artecoll is expected to be available for use in the United States. Artecoll, which has been used in Europe and Canada, has the potential of offering permanent enhancement. "That's what I look forward to," says Dr. Rivkin, "whether it's Artecoll or it's something different, having something that lasts potentially a long time."

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