By Dr Claude Aharoni
This meticulous injection technique, performed on the entire surface of the skin, enables us to smooth the entire face. Once the treatment is finished, the visible result is similar to a deep peel, but without facial trauma, pain or downtime. With deep skin hydration as a bonus.
Skin resurfacing with a peel versus skin resurfacing by blanching
Deep phenol peels have gone out of favour due to the risks involved and the long-windedness of the process. Their main indication is to smooth skin that has become withered, parched and marked due to repeated sun exposure. Deep peels require general anaesthesia and a 24-hour hospital stay due to the cardiac problems they can trigger. The procedure can cause severe burns, areas of depigmentation and retractile scarring, a greenish tinge to the skin and a waxy appearance. All patients are left with fragile skin and must permanently avoid the sun. A deep peel resurfaces the skin from the outside by burning off the outer layers. Full Face Blanching, however, resurfaces the skin from the inside by hydrating it. I noticed that I could achieve a similar effect to a peel without the risks and damage to the skin, without the need for downtime and without a life- time ban on sunbathing.
Smoothing, toning and hydrating
Blanching is usually used to fill deep furrows in the peribuccal area and cheekbone, glabellar and crow’s feet wrinkles. When used as a treatment for the whole face, mid-way between a skin booster and a filler, this method erases fine lines and wrinkles and tones the skin. We achieve that difficult and much sought-after balance between plumping and smoothing. The main impediment for a practitioner is the time it takes and the cost, as it takes at least two hours and requires between 6 and 8 syringes of product. The Full Face Blanching technique is two procedures in one: dermal furrows and deep wrinkles are repaired with Belotero Balance, and the skin is redensified with Belotero Soft. We are constantly juggling with the two products. The result is that the skin is lifted, plumped and smoothed. I inject micro-droplets of product very superficially − square millimetre by square millimetre − so as to cover the whole area, going point by point from one ear to the other via the nasolabial folds, upper lip and peri-buccal wrinkles. The forehead is treated with Belotero Balance if the wrinkles are deep, and Belotero Soft enables us to smooth any creases around the eyebrows. This technique also gives great results around the mouth and corrects “barcode” lines on the upper lip, small wrinkles under the lower lip, and marionette lines. These very superficial injections are also interesting because the hyaluronidase breakdown process near the surface occurs very slowly, so the effects last up to 24 months.
Nowadays, it is important to offer patients effective, long-lasting and “light” solutions to all indications, even the most difficult to treat. Full Face Blanching requires patience, accuracy, and proper training. The procedure is pain-free thanks to the lidocaine in the product. Nevertheless, I recommend applying plenty of anaesthetic cream all over the face 30 minutes before the procedure.
Patients can prepare their skin for treatment by taking 5 gra- nules of Arnica 9ch three times a day for 7 days, then taking Extranase after the procedure.
Dr Claude Aharoni: former medical faculty registrar and head of research. Member of the French Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery and of the European Board of Plastic Surgery. Member of the French College of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery. Member of the teaching staff for the inter-university diploma in Aesthetic Medicine.
