Cosmetic Procedures

• BOTOX® Cosmetic
• Combination Treatments
• Dermal Fillers
• Pellevé™
• Thermage®

Dermal Fillers

“Over the last 25 years that I have been in practice, I have seen many changes in the fillers being used for aging skin”, states Dr. Roper. “Initially we had collagen fillers, which looked great, but only lasted 3-6 months. Now we have much more longer lasting fillers, like Juvéderm Ultra and Ultra Plus®, Restylane® /Perlane®, Sculptra®, and Artefill®.” Results with all these products are immediate and technique sensitive, meaning results will vary from doctor to doctor. Dr. Roper is an expert user of these products. Her patients enjoy wonderful results with no downtime and minimal discomfort.

Juvéderm® and Restylane® are FDA approved for nasolabial folds, and are derived from hyaluronic acid, a natural substance found in tissue fluid and joint fluid. These products have counterparts in the medical field that are used to inject into knee joints to alleviate pain. “Juvéderm® and Restylane® are wonderful dermal fillers,” states Dr. Roper. They are both made synthetically, and are not animal derived. They are very resilient, lasting approximately two years, but may last longer since research has found that they stimulate collagen and firm the tissue they are placed in. Since Juvéderm® and Restylane® are non-animal based and highly biocompatible, no skin test is needed.

“Juvéderm® is my favorite product to shape the lips,” quotes Dr. Roper. “If it is done precisely, it only looks natural. No one will ever know.”

Sculptra®, FDA approved for the cosmetic treatment of nasolabial folds, was launched initially the fall of 2004. Sculptra® is a synthetic material, made of poly-L-lactic acid, which is used as a single treatment or a series of treatments to treat facial thinning problems especially in the cheek, perioral, and temple area, and in those who have lost too much weight in their face, as well as being used in the treatment of rhytides. No skin test is required. The improvement lasts 2 years or longer in the clinical trials recently reviewed by the FDA, which has been Dr. Roper’s experience also. Dr. Roper is the first in the Tampa Bay Area to use Sculptra® and is the most knowledgeable in the use of this product. “This product is well named,” states Dr. Roper, “as it can be used to ‘sculpt’ and contour the face where no other product would do.” Dr. Roper often combines Juvéderm® or Restylane® with Sculptra® in order to achieve desired results.

Artefill® is the first and only FDA approved non-resorbable wrinkle filler for the correction of smile lines, which gives immediate, visible results with no downtime. It improves over the course of several months, and usually requires only 1-2 treatments. It does, however, require a skin test to the product at least 4 weeks prior to the treatment. Artefill® contains PMMA microspheres and purified bovine collagen gel coupled with an anesthetic that acts as a dual-acting injectable wrinkle filler with immediate results and results that improve over time. The unique microspheres in Artefill® are not absorbed by the body, providing a permanent support to the skin for long-lasting wrinkle correction. “This is a wonderful product for individuals who know that they want their nasolabial fold correction to last forever, and have trust in me to do it,” states Dr. Roper. Once a permanent filler is placed, it cannot be removed. “I also have used this product, along with the subcision procedure, to treat acne scarring and have had very gratifying results,” states Dr. Roper.

“The person injecting the product is the artist,” quotes Dr. Roper, “and the product they are injecting is their ‘paint’. The patient needs to know that the ‘artist’, the person injecting the product, is an important part of their final result.”

“It is also important to me that these procedure be performed as painlessly as possible,” states Dr. Roper. “In my office, the patient can be assured that only myself, the physician, will be involved.”

Dr. Roper also warns the public not to go to ‘injection parties’, get treated outside of a doctor’s office, or to use products that are not sold in this country or FDA approved. “Many people have been harmed, especially by the injection of ‘black market’ industrial grade silicone into the face and lips by unscrupulous individuals,” quotes Dr. Roper. “In order to protect yourself, make sure your ‘physician injector’ is listed on the Florida Department of Health website as a provider,” states Dr. Roper. “Some of my patients have been duped by individuals pretending to be physicians, who really weren’t.” The Florida Department of Health website is www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/Profiling/index.html

Unlicensed practice of medicine is a felony, and can be reported anonymously to the State of Florida using this phone number: 1-877-HALT-ULA.