[The plastic surgeon and the prevention of facial aging process]

The fight against aging is carried out on several levels: a healthy life, anti-aging medicine as well as fight against aging symptoms. In our days, plastic surgeons anxious to find answers to the specific demands of their patients must invest themselves in other areas, to at least, acquire the knowledge or, to enable them to practice the necessary skills to meet those needs. Once it is agreed upon that a healthy life is the forerunner of any meaningful anti-aging program, the forceful demands of patients for anti-aging treatments must be treated with great care. This specialty is presently at an embryonic stage. Today the research is focused on providing the best well being while aging rather than stopping it. In addition, to date, certain hormonal treatments have not proven their efficacy and safety. As for the prevention of facial aging, the injection of botulinum toxin A presents the most advanced technique known. It acts on aging resulting from muscular hyperkinetics. Furthermore, because of increased hydration of the skin it delays actinic aging. This technique has lots of room for improvement: on the physician side by developing a better understanding of functional anatomy to target the injections to suit each patient's case, and on the supplier side by improvement of the product.