Stop chasing the lines & start chasing a feeling: the new way of treating lines & wrinkles that zeros in on feelings first.
By Dr. Janna Bentley
(This article was written for ICON Magazine May 2017.)
Recently I’ve been invited to several medical conferences and training seminars presented by Dr. Mauricio de Maio (in London, England, Toronto, Cancun etc). Given this new approach, myself and many leading-edge aesthetic physicians are taking another look at how we treat the signs of aging.
Dr. de Maio, an internationally respected facial aesthetics expert, has pioneered an innovative way of treating facial lines – called the MD Codes™ – that focuses on the full face and on how patients want to feel, versus simply targeting lines. The MD Codes help cosmetic physicians recognize how areas of the face are directly linked to certain emotional attributes, and identify the right treatment points and techniques that will deliver effective and natural-looking results by focusing on how people want to feel post-treatment.
We see a lot of patients focus on specific wrinkles, folds or facial lines – but what is their face saying about them and how do they feel? What do they really want to convey when they see themselves out and about, as other people see them? For example, a patient may say want to reduce their forehead frown lines – yet with more conversation and examination, together the holistic solution is to look less tired and less sad.
Good cosmetic physicians need to be more than just injectors of Botox and dermal fillers (like Juvederm). They need to be experts. The MD Codes were developed as a new language in facial aesthetics to help physicians accurately read the messages of the face and develop the best possible treatment. The MD Codes system helps focus on results, so that a patient’s treatment is based on their individual goals, for example to look:
- Younger
- Happier
- Slimmer
- More attractive
- More feminine
- Less saggy
- Less tired
- Less sad
Since everyone’s face and motivation for treatment are unique, the treatment approach should be adjusted to each person’s needs and emotional desires. We are looking at the full picture and helping our patients focus on how they want to feel from treatment versus focusing on bothersome lines and folds in isolation. Taking this approach leads to higher patient satisfaction.
How do MD Codes™ help leading aesthetic practitioners offer the best treatment?
The MD Codes:
- Show a series of strategic and formulated injection points, which help practitioners deliver natural looking and subtle results
- Demonstrate how areas of the face are indirectly improved by their neighbouring areas – why it is essential to treat the face ‘as a whole’
- Allow practitioners to show patients the strategy behind their treatment and what will be achieved by injecting in specific areas
- They highlight ‘alert areas’ in red (e.g. facial arteries where it might be dangerous to inject)
- Show what devices and techniques should be used at each injection point, particularly of interest near an ‘alert area’. For example, should a needle or cannula be used, and should injection be delivered through a linear or fanning technique.
An MD Codes™ physician and clinic provides a comprehensive approach to assessing and treating patients. It is the next step in the movement away from simply treating wrinkles to treating the face holistically and respectfully, and to deliver the best possible results that are consistently natural-looking.
Lakeshore Vein & Aesthetics Clinic is a MD Codes Trained clinic.
