Why We Use Ultrasound at the Manse
There are several situations where the use of ultrasound can assist with delivering aesthetic treatments
- To improve safety
- To provide with more information
- To improve the treatment of complications
Dermal filler is a great way to improve the quality of your skin by giving you a glowy, smooth and more youthful appearance. It’s beneficial for filling in lines and wrinkles and restoring volume in the face. At the Manse our goal is to give an overall enhancement of your own natural beauty. We use ultrasound to give us more information to help us achieve the best results
The different ways we use ultrasound with dermal fillers
Checking anatomy prior to injecting:
We may use ultrasound to check the patient’s anatomy in certain higher risk areas before the procedure, eg nose, temple, forehead, frown lines.
By visualizing blood vessels, through a screen, we can decide on the most optimum technique and depth to minimize risk of complications. Occlusion of blood vessels is a rare, complication but it is great to see visually beneath the skin where the riskiest vessels are. We can never be too careful!
For ultrasound guided injections
We may use ultrasound for ultrasound guided injections of filler, meaning that the injector will see in real time the needle end and see exactly where the filler is placed accurately, this can be of great value if the area being treated is in close proximity to blood vessels.
Ultrasound to review filler results and as an aid to dissolving
When your filler no longer serves your aesthetic needs as in the case where it migrated, ultrasound can help us determine the placement of that filler and its depth, therefore facilitating a treatment plan that delivers more accurate dissolving, therefore less pain and needing less volume to inject, and also check that the filler has been dissolved with the ultrasound on subsequent review.
Using ultrasound for the complication of occlusions:
We may use ultrasound in a vascular occlusion to see where the occlusion is and to see where to inject the hyalase and to check that the occlusion has been successfully treated.
How does the Ultrasound work?
We use a gel that we put on the ultrasound device to glide smoothly over your treating area. The ultrasound device involves ultrasound waves that penetrate the skin showing a visual representation of the facial layers. It cannot penetrate through the bone, however the bone can be seen clearly through the high degree of reflection the device shows. Fluid containing elements are clearly seen on the ultrasound device, for example blood vessels and its blood flow.
Our aim when using ultrasound is to improve safety, results and complication prevention and management.
If or when a potential filler complication occurs – we are able to test the area with the ultrasound, this extra information helps with diagnosis and treatment.
Regularly using the ultrasound also has educational benefits to the team and allows us to understand anatomy and its variations
For some patients, they may need to evaluate their filler complications with a trusted professional. Patients do notice when their filler they have injected for years leads to lumping or swelling and will not dissolve on its own. When using the ultrasound we are able to see where the filler is located and we can dissolve it via a quick and easy procedure.