Fillers in Aesthetic Medicine
Gary D. Monheit, M.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Dermatology
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama

The field of Aesthetic Medicine has been changing at such a rapid pace it has become hard to keep up with the latest trends and developments. Each decade has introduced new technologies that have made our practices safer, simpler and more efficacious. The 80’s were the decade of chemical peels; the 90’s the laser; but the two most innovative changes have come about from the aesthetic use of botulinum toxin in the 90’s and now the explosion of fillers in this era of the 21st Century. From one or two fillers available twenty years ago, we now have a full cabinet of filling materials – both biodegradable and permanent – to meet each of our patient’s needs. In the recent few years, fillers are emerging like spring flowers in a profusion of original devices, copycats and injection materials. It has become increasingly difficult for the clinician to sort through the marketing hype to find the real objective science – if it exists – on the newer agents. This is further complicated by the fact that CE certification does not require efficacy and safety data if comparable filling substances are already on the market. The reality is that most new aesthetic devices come from Europe, and it is difficult for us to evaluate what’s new and what’s good.

“Fillers in Aesthetic Medicine” provides a well-needed compendium as a complete yet very hands-on practical approach to the practice of fillers at this time. It fulfills an important niche by gathering information from many sources for the updated volume. Both Drs. Rzany and de Maio are highly respected aesthetic researchers and clinicians. They have sorted through the technical data and marketing hype to provide truthful and practical information for you – the aesthetic clinician – for use in your practice.

The volume is divided into usable chapters encompassing materials, patient selection, preparations, anesthesia, regional injections including techniques, combination therapy and complications with treatment. I highly recommend this compendium for both the novice clinician beginning a filler practice as well as those with long experience needing an update on the latest materials and techniques. This is the next best thing to a “hands-on” course from master clinicians.