Advances in Facial Filler Injections-The Blunt Cannula Needle

A great recent advance in facial filler injections has been the adoption of the fine blunt cannula instead of sharp needles to inject the filler into the desired area (eg Cheeks, Lips, Nose, Brow Temporal hollows). The patient experience is much less painful and bleeding/bruising is significantly reduced as vascular structures are generally nudged out of the way instead of being cut though.

This blunt cannula technology is borrowed from the technique of fat transfer grafting, something we have already been performing for over 8 year now at our clinic.

A master exponent of this technique is the brilliant Brazilian plastic surgeon Dr. Mauricio de Maio:

Dr Mauricio de Maio is a member of the Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery and the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. He graduated from the Medical Faculty of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo in 1990. Specialist in Plastic Surgery in 1996, Master of Medicine in 1999 and Doctor of Science in 2006 at the Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo. Dr de Maio was Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, University of São Paulo from 1996 to 2002. He has been a recognized consultant and teacher training experts in the areas of Plastic Surgery, Laser and Aesthetic Medicine since 1997. Recognized nationally and internationally, Dr Mauricio de Maio has published three books on Aesthetic Medicine, Editora Roca - Brazil, 2004; Fillers in Aesthetic Medicine, Publisher Springer-Verlag - Germany, 2006 and Botulinum Toxin in Aesthetic Medicine, Publisher Springer-Verlag - Germany, 2007. Dr de Maio is also a Minister for international courses in North America, Central and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

http://www.mauriciodemaio.com.br/ingles/naocirurgicos.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mdBMNkEsZg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/user/clinicamauricio
Dr. de Miao who was the "star turn" at our recent annual Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery conference in Hobart.   http://www.iceaustralia.com/cosmetex2011/program.html

I had the wonderful opportunity to observe and discuss Dr. de Maio's filler injection technique with him as we were speaking on the same platform at the conference: http://www.iceaustralia.com/cosmetex2011/pdf/Cosmetex2011_Program.pdf
We found we had many treatment concepts in common.

I am very grateful to Dr. de Maio for some excellent treatment tips and techniques that he passed on to me and am delighted to be already using these advances at our clinic.