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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
A B
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
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)
Table 1. Descriptive Statistics for the Goode Ratio, Z Angle, and Lip Vermilion Height Ratio
A B
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
10. Cerrati EW, Dayan SH. Association of increasing nasal tip 15. Iblher N, Kloepper J, Penna V, Bartholomae JP, Stark GB.
projection with lip position in primary rhinoplasty. JAMA Changes in the aging upper lip-a photomorphometric
Facial Plast Surg. 2017;19(4):323-326. and MRI-based study (on a quest to find the right reju-
11. Galderma Laboratories, LP. Restylane® Product and venation approach). J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg.
Safety Information. 2011. 2008;61(10):1170-1176.
12. Galderma Laboratories, LP. Restylane® Defyne Product 16. DeLorenzi C. Complications of injectable fillers, part
and Safety Information. 2016. 2: vascular complications. Aesthet Surg J. 2014;34(4):
13. Merrifield LL. The profile line as an aid in critically evaluating 584-600.
facial esthetics. Am J Orthod. 1966;52(11):804-822. 17. Data on file. 05DF1502 Clinical Study Report. Fort Worth,
14. Holdaway RA. A soft-tissue cephalometric analysis and its TX: Galderma Laboratories, LP; 2016.
use in orthodontic treatment planning. Part I. Am J Orthod. 18. Restylane® Defyne. Instructions for Use. Fort Worth, TX:
1983;84(1):1-28. Galderma Laboratories, LP; 2016.
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