A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend an invite-only Master Class Injection training course with internationally respected plastic surgeon, Dr. Mauricio de Maio, known as one of the true artists in the field of aesthetic medicine. He essentially took us through a cosmetic boot-camp of sorts, where he randomly grilled the injectors in attendance on assessment skills, facial anatomy, and injection technique.
The training session began with a brief description of our credentials and what we hoped to gain from being there. To my surprise, I was one of two physician assistants and the only attendee from Nebraska (Kerri and Kait had scheduling conflicts) surrounded by dermatologists and plastic surgeons. Although initially somewhat intimidating, it didn’t take long before it became apparent that Dr. de Maio cared very little about title, but placed immense value on ability to absorb his wisdom and apply it on-the-spot.
After Dr. de Maio brilliantly explained the process of assessing the face for correct, natural-looking volume enhancement, he placed patients and injectors opposite one another in an assembly line fashion. Then he told us to spend 1 minute assessing each patient and prioritizing what the patient needed aesthetically in order of biggest difference generated. After both praising some and mocking others, Dr. de Maio systematically directed the injection of Voluma into the upper outer cheek and the lower face.
Interestingly, restoring volume in the region of the lateral cheek and the area near the chin and outside corner of the mouth resulted in a dramatic improvement in overall facial beauty across the entire patient panel. This underscores the importance of the need for lift in very specific places to create a natural, facelift-like effect in anyone who demonstrates facial aging.
This training is just one example of the many, high level training courses that Kerri, Kait, and I participate in multiple times a year. We would love the opportunity to utilize these expert techniques on you to create a natural-looking facial lift and help bring back the confidence that comes from looking and feeling great.
CLICK HERE to watch the 8 point approach to injecting volume to the face.
-Rebecca Reinke, PA-C
