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Cosmetic Medicine

Aesthetic Surgery Journal


2020, Vol 40(5) 560–567
Premaxillary Injection for Perioral © 2019 The Aesthetic Society.
Reprints and permission:
Rejuvenation and Lip Enhancement journals.permissions@oup.com
DOI: 10.1093/asj/sjz108
www.aestheticsurgeryjournal.com

Thuy-Van T. Ho, MD ; Eric W. Cerrati, MD; Nimit D. Gandhi, MD;

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Arjun Kalbag, PhD; and Steven H. Dayan, MD, FACS

Abstract
Background:  This is the first study to evaluate the effect of premaxillary filler injection on nasal tip projection, upper lip
projection, and upper lip vermilion height.
Objectives:  The primary objective of this study was to analyze the change in nasal tip projection (measured by the Goode
ratio) and the change in upper lip projection (measured by the Z angle) following premaxillary hyaluronic acid injection.
A secondary objective was to measure the change in upper lip vermilion height. We hypothesized that treated subjects
will show an increase in nasal tip projection, upper lip projection, and upper lip vermilion height.
Methods:  Twenty volunteer patients with signs of perioral aging or poor upper lip projection were enrolled in this pro-
spective cohort study and underwent premaxillary hyaluronic acid filler injection between November 2017 and June 2018.
Nasal tip projection, upper lip projection, and upper lip vermilion height were assessed from baseline and posttreatment
photographs based on the Goode ratio, Z angle, and lip vermilion height ratio, respectively.
Results:  No significant change was noted between pre- and posttreatment Goode ratio measurements (P = 0.841). There
was a significant decrease in Z angle and therefore significant increase in upper lip projection with treatment (P < 0.001).
The lip vermilion height ratio demonstrated a trend of increased upper lip vermilion height but this did not achieve statis-
tical significance (P = 0.561).
Conclusions:  Premaxillary filler treatment resulted in a significant increase in upper lip projection. Premaxillary filler injec-
tion when performed in a safe manner is a valuable treatment option for perioral rejuvenation.

Level of Evidence: 4 

Editorial Decision date: March 27, 2019; online publish-ahead-of-print April 9, 2019.

The anatomic changes behind perioral aging have been Dr Ho is a Facial Plastic Surgeon and Dr Dayan is an Assistant
well studied and well described in the literature. As patients Professor and Facial Plastic Surgeon, Division of Facial Plastic and
age, they tend to experience flattening of the Cupid’s bow Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology, University
of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL. Dr Cerrati is an Assistant Professor
and loss of definition of the philtral columns, resulting in the
and Facial Plastic Surgeon, Division of Otolaryngology, University of
appearance of a thin and elongated upper lip.1,2 One influ- Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. Dr Gandhi is a Clinical Research Coordinator
ential factor in this process is the atrophy of the orbicularis and Dr Kalbag is a Statistician, DeNova Research, Chicago, IL.
oris muscle; relaxation of the muscle curvature over time
Corresponding Author:
leads to a less acute vermilion border angle and adds to Dr Thuy-Van T. Ho, 569 West Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, PA
the overall increase in lip length.3 Other perioral signs of 19041, USA.
aging include deepening of the nasolabial and labiomental E-mail: thuyvantinaho@gmail.com
Ho et al561

folds, development of perioral rhytids, downturning of the and filler naive with signs of perioral aging or poor upper
oral commissures, and jowling associated with gravita- lip projection on examination. Exclusion criteria comprised
tional effects and soft tissue volume loss.4,5 any history of rhinoplasty, upper lip augmentation within
In addition to the soft tissue changes, maxillary bony the last 12  months, lip lift or other surgical procedures
resorption is also implicated in perioral aging. Mendelson involving the upper lip, chin augmentation, or orthognathic
et al,6 for example, discovered that the maxillary angle de- surgery. Enrolled subjects were instructed to avoid perioral
creased by about 10° between younger (<30  years) and neurotoxin treatment, perioral ablative resurfacing, facial
older (>60  years) individuals. Furthermore, the piriform cosmetic surgery, and all subdermally directed aesthetic or
aperture gradually widens with age and subsequently filler treatments other than the protocol intervention during
contributes to visible signs of nasal aging that include in- the study. All subjects provided informed written consent
creased nasal length and drooping of the tip.7,8 including signed photography consent prior to enrollment.
Hyaluronic acid filler continues to be an increasingly All study procedures were carried out in adherence to the
prominent treatment option for perioral rejuvenation.9 Declaration of Helsinki Principles and were approved by

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Hyaluronic acid filler injection is routinely performed in the the local ethical committee of Quorum IRB in Seattle, WA.
mid to deep dermis to improve the appearance of deep The hyaluronic acid filler used in this study was a gel
facial wrinkles and folds such as nasolabial folds, perioral of hyaluronic acid produced by the Streptococcus spe-
rhytids, and prejowl sulci. However, there is limited litera- cies of Gram-positive bacteria chemically cross-linked with
ture regarding deeper injection of hyaluronic acid in the butanediol diglycidyl ether and suspended in phosphate-
perioral region to compensate for the muscle atrophy and buffered saline (pH 7) at a concentration of 20 mg/mL with
bony resorption aspects of perioral aging and to address 0.3% lidocaine (Restylane® Defyne).11 This hyaluronic acid
the elongated upper lip. filler is among the newer injectable products available and
In 2017, Cerrati and Dayan10 demonstrated in their retro- possesses a high lifting capacity. It is indicated for correc-
spective study of rhinoplasty patients that increased nasal tion of moderate to severe deep facial wrinkles and folds
tip projection was significantly associated with increased such as nasolabial folds and marionette lines in patients
upper lip projection. Moreover, there was also a trend to- over the age of 21 years.12
wards increased upper lip vermilion height. In light of these Hyaluronic acid filler injection was administered in the
findings, and based on his own clinical experience with facial plastic surgery office setting in accordance with
filler injection, the senior author (S.H.D.) observed the po- standard operating procedure. Each patient’s upper lip
tential benefit of hyaluronic acid injection into the premax- and nasolabial areas were first cleaned with benzalkonium
illary space as a technique to address the multiple factors chloride. Bilateral infraorbital nerve block was performed
that contribute to perioral and nasal aging. with 3% mepivacaine local anesthetic to minimize patient
Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to as- pain and discomfort. Although a routine filler injection via
sess the change in nasal tip projection (as measured by cannula in the subdermal plane is often tolerated well
the Goode ratio) and the change in upper lip projection (as without local anesthesia, a premaxillary injection occurs
measured by the Z angle) following perioral rejuvenation much deeper and closer to bone as well as the nasal base
with premaxillary hyaluronic acid filler injections. A  sec- and may be felt more by the patient. The hyaluronic acid
ondary objective was to measure the change in upper lip filler product was then injected by the senior author in the
height by comparing the pre- and posttreatment injection premaxillary area in the supraperiosteal plane via a linear
ratio of upper lip vermilion height to lower lip vermilion threading technique from 1-mL vials with the use of a 22-G
height. We hypothesized that subjects who are treated with cannula (SoftFil, Paris, France) through bilateral port sites
premaxillary filler injection will demonstrate an increase in at the inferior aspect of the nasolabial folds created with a
nasal tip projection, upper lip projection, and upper lip ver- 20-G needle. The larger cannula size is preferred by the
milion height. senior author as it further reduces the risk of vascular in-
jury. The premaxillary space can be defined as the ana-
METHODS tomic region located between the maxilla and orbicularis
muscle spanning between the alar bases. Injection was
We conducted an open-label prospective study to assess performed until sufficient aesthetic improvement was
the effect of premaxillary hyaluronic acid filler injection on achieved as deemed by the senior author according to the
nasal tip projection and upper lip position. From November Optimal Cosmetic Results (OCR) criteria (Figure 1). The an-
2017 to June 2018, 20 volunteer patients who presented ticipated volume of filler product needed in total and for
to a facial plastic surgery office desiring facial rejuvenation each side was determined by the senior author based on
were enrolled in this study. Subjects were deemed eligible his clinical evaluation of the subject’s individual anatomy
by the senior author (S.H.D.) if they were 21 years or older, and degree of immediate aesthetic improvement achieved
562 Aesthetic Surgery Journal 40(5)

A B

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C D

Figure 1.  (A) Pretreatment lateral view photograph of a 49 year-old female subject. (B) Post-treatment lateral photograph
demonstrating Optimal Cosmetic Result criteria 4 weeks after premaxillary filler injection. (C) Pretreatment frontal view
photograph of the 49 year-old female subject and (D) posttreatment lateral photograph 4 weeks after premaxillary filler
injection.
Ho et al563

A B

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Figure 2.  (A) Goode ratio for measurement of nasal tip projection (ratio of nasal height to nasal length). (B) Z angle for
measurement of upper lip projection.

after treatment. The nasolabial folds were not directly ad- pretreatment and 4-week posttreatment subject photographs
dressed with the premaxillary injection. with the same methods used by Cerrati and Dayan.10 A deci-
Upon enrollment, each subject presented for an initial sion was made to perform measurements based on standard
treatment visit. At a follow-up visit 2 weeks later, the patient facial landmarks and distance ratios to avoid the influence
was re-evaluated. If optimal correction, as deemed by the of variability in lighting, camera angle, facial orientation, and
senior author, was not maintained, a second “touch-up” in- camera distance that are often difficult to maintain consist-
jection of filler was performed. Each subject then returned ently in standardized portrait photography. All measurements
for a third visit at 4 weeks following the initial treatment. and calculations were performed solely by the primary author
Subjects were followed for any treatment-related adverse (T.T.H.) to avoid potential bias from the treating senior author
events including pain, nodules, swelling, redness, bruising, and coauthor photographer. Adobe Photoshop 7.0 software
tenderness, itching, and headache as well as for pigmen- was utilized to perform comparative measurements of the
tation changes, and/or keloid formation. anatomic distances and angles described below.
Photographs were captured of each subject before The Goode ratio was used as a measurement of tip
hyaluronic acid filler injection at the initial treatment visit projection and is defined as the ratio of nasal height to
and at all subsequent follow-up visits by the same coau- nasal length (Figure  2A). For each subject’s right lateral
thor (N.D.G.). Standardized frontal, oblique, and lateral view photograph, the nasal height was measured as the
view photographs were taken with a Nikon D90 digital SLR length of a line drawn from the alar-facial groove to the
camera (Nikon, Tokyo, Japan) with a 105-mm lens at 1.5 m tip-defining point, and the nasal length was measured as
and umbrella lighting at quarter strength. Subject photo- the length of the line drawn from the nasion to the tip-
graphs were saved to Mirror software. defining point. The nasal height value was then divided by
Upon study culmination, tip projection, upper lip projec- the nasal length value to determine the Goode ratio for a
tion, and lip vermilion height ratio were measured for all given photograph.
564 Aesthetic Surgery Journal 40(5)

The mean, standard deviations (SDs), and range values


of the Goode ratio, Z angle, and lip vermilion height ratio at
baseline and posttreatment are presented in Table 1.
The repeated-measures analysis of variance model
used to study the multivariate effect of the premaxillary in-
jection on outcome variables demonstrated significance
[Pillai’s trace  =  0.511, F(3,17)  =  5.911, P  <  0.001]. Follow-up
t tests conducted to assess the difference between
posttreatment and baseline values of the Goode ratio, the
Z angle, and the lip height ratio, however, detected only
a significant change in the mean Z angle measurement.
Figure 3.  Lip vermilion height ratio: ratio of upper lip Significance level α for multiple comparisons from base-
vermilion height (A) to lower lip vermilion height (B). line to posttreatment for each outcome variable was set to

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0.016 to avoid inflating the type I error rate.
Upper lip projection was assessed via measurement of The mean posttreatment Goode ratio of 0.601
the Z angle, a method outlined by Merrifield13 in 1966. This (SD = 0.052) was neither greater nor significantly different
method was selected for assessment of upper lip projec- than the mean baseline Goode ratio of 0.603 (SD = 0.064)
tion because the corresponding measurements would not [t(19)  =  –0.203, P  =  0.841]. On the other hand, the mean
be affected by posttreatment soft tissue or nasal changes. posttreatment Z angle of 74.245° (SD  =  10.859°) was sig-
On each subject’s right lateral view photograph, a profile nificantly lower than the mean baseline Z angle of 77.070°
line was drawn tangential to the pogonion of the chin and (SD  =  10.677°) [t(19)  =  –4.111, P  <  0.001]. From baseline to
to the most anterior point of the upper lip. A second line posttreatment, Z angle measurements demonstrated a
was drawn along the Frankfort horizontal plane. The re- mean decrease of 2.825° (95% CI: 1.387°-4.263°). Figure 4
sulting angle at which these 2 lines intersected corres- illustrates an example patient who experienced a decrease
ponded to the Z angle (Figure 2B).13,14 A decrease in the Z in Z angle after premaxillary filler injection. The mean
angle to a more acute value on posttreatment photographs posttreatment lip version height ratio of 1.147 (SD = 0.375)
would correspond to an increase in upper lip projection. was higher than the mean baseline lip height ratio of 1.116
Lip vermilion height ratio was calculated as the ratio (SD = 0.393) but the difference did not reach statistical sig-
of the upper lip vermilion height to the lower lip ver- nificance [t(19) = 0.591, P = 0.561].
milion height across the subject frontal photographs
(Figure 3). The upper lip vermilion height was measured
as the length of a vertical line drawn from the upper DISCUSSION
lip vermilion border at the Cupid’s bow portion to the
Although perioral aging is well understood and described in
stomion. The lower lip vermilion height was measured
the literature,1-5 treatment options that address all aspects
as the length of a central vertical line drawn from the
of the perioral aging process remain limited. Hyaluronic
stomion to the lower lip vermilion border. Each upper lip
acid filler is a popular nonsurgical treatment that is com-
vermilion height value was divided by the related lower
monly used to improve perioral lines, jowling, and thin,
lip vermilion height value to determine the lip vermilion
down-turned lips at the soft tissue level.9 Nevertheless,
height ratio for a given subject photograph. Statistical
the use of hyaluronic acid filler injection to combat pre-
analysis comprised a paired 2-tailed t test, with P < 0.05
maxillary bony deficiency has not been widely pursued or
considered significant.
studied.
In 2008, Ibhler et al15 conducted a magnetic resonance
RESULTS imaging–based comparative study analyzing upper lip
changes with aging. They revealed that there is actually
A total of 20 female subjects, ranging from 42 to 75 years no loss in volume in the upper lip as previously believed,
in age with a mean age of 61 years (SD = 8.58 years), were but rather a redistribution of upper lip thickness towards
enrolled in this study. The mean follow-up period dur- length. They also found that the nasolabial angle deep-
ation was 26.3 days (range, 12-47 days). All 20 subjects ened in the older population, which highlights the contribu-
completed the protocol without any complications. tion of premaxillary volume loss to the process of perioral
Subjects were injected with a maximum of 4 syringes aging. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that hyalu-
of filler product to treat their premaxillary space. The ronic acid filler injection targeted at multiple levels of the
average volume of filler product injected was 2.35  mL perioral region, including the premaxillary space, is most
(range, 1.0-3.4 mL). beneficial. For this reason, a treatment aimed to address
Ho et al565

Table 1.  Descriptive Statistics for the Goode Ratio, Z Angle, and Lip Vermilion Height Ratio

Goode ratio Z angle Lip vermilion height ratio

Pretreatment Post-treatment Pretreatment Post-treatment Pretreatment Post-treatment

Mean 0.603 0.601 77.070° 74.245° 1.116 1.147

Standard deviation 0.064 0.052 10.677° 10.859° 0.393 0.375

Range 0.486-0.737 0.475-0.717 54.2°-95.1° 49.9°-90.2° 0.391-1.908 0.397-1.720

A B

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Figure 4.  (A) Pretreatment photograph of a 52-year-old female subject. (B) Post-treatment photograph illustrating decrease in Z
angle 4 weeks after premaxillary filler injection.

only one aspect of the perioral area, such as thin lips, supraperiosteal plane, to minimize the risk of vascular
would result in an unnatural, duck-like appearance. complications. Strict adherence to clean techniques is also
It is vital to have a thorough understanding of the rele- advocated to avoid potential complications of infection
vant facial anatomy and associated significant risks when and biofilm formation.
performing premaxillary filler injection. The premaxillary The hyaluronic acid filler used in this study is a newer
space is near several large facial vessels, including the injectable product with multiple potential advantages
lateral nasal artery and superior labial artery. Intravascular for addressing the premaxillary space. Compared with
injection can result in serious complications including its older counterparts, this hyaluronic acid filler demon-
necrosis and blindness.16 The senior author strongly re- strates a high lifting capacity (or high G′) due to its unique
commends the use of 22-G cannulas for injection and XpresHAn Technology and is thus indicated for deeper
placement of fillers into the deeper tissues, such as the injection into the mid-to-deep dermis to provide more
566 Aesthetic Surgery Journal 40(5)

support and projection in the correction of moderate to se- vermilion height as well. These findings confirm the bene-
vere facial wrinkles and folds.12 The unique cross-linking ficial effect of premaxillary filler injection for nonsurgical
nature of the filler also promotes its ability to support nat- treatment of the perioral region. Premaxillary filler injection
ural facial expressions. A multicenter, noncomparative trial when performed in a safe manner is a valuable adjunct
of 63 subjects treated with this filler product indicated treatment option for perioral rejuvenation.
that facial movements and expressions remained intact at
1 month after treatment; in fact, 89% of patients treated felt Disclosures
they looked natural when smiling and relaxed.17 A phase III Dr Dayan received equipment, materials, and medications as
comparator trial revealed 64% of subjects maintained their well as funding from Galderma Laboratories, LP to support this
results after 12  months.18 Therefore, the advantageous research. The other authors declared no potential conflicts of
properties of high G′, flexibility, and longevity possessed interest with respect to the research, authorship, and publica-
by the hyaluronic acid filler product used in this study tion of this article.
make it an ideal filler option for restoring volume in the

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deeper premaxillary space without affecting natural facial
Funding
expression in the perioral region. This study was supported by a grant from Galderma
This is the first study to assess the effect of premaxillary Laboratories, LP to the senior author (S.H.D.). This was an
filler injection on nasal tip projection, upper lip projection, and investigator-initiated trial in which the collaborator Galderma
Laboratories, LP did not create the design or conduct the study
upper lip vermilion height. Although the premaxillary filler
and was not involved in the collection management, analysis,
treatment did not significantly affect nasal tip projection, it
and interpretation of the data. Galderma Laboratories, LP did
resulted in a significant increase in upper lip projection with a participate in the preparation of this manuscript following the
measurable trend towards an increase in lip vermilion height draft by reviewing content for scientific accuracy of their prod-
ratio and therefore upper lip vermilion height. Additional ucts and approval of the manuscript and was involved in the
study is warranted to further delineate a causal relationship decision to submit this manuscript for publication.
between premaxillary injection and upper lip height, as our
study did not demonstrate statistical significance. REFERENCES
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