Heat stands for ’Highly Effective Aesthetic Treatment’, which is of course always the aim - however we administer a treatment, whatever that treatment is, we want the results to be the most effective possible.
“Throughout my career I have learnt to recognize that many products can be delivered using the same device; a cannula to administer a filler for example, but if you do not study and understand the behaviour of each product inside the body, how it reacts, where it is positioned, the layer at which you administer it, etc. you can end up using much more product, achieve the same results maybe, but with a far less effective outcome. So HEAT, for me, means that I know exactly where my target is, how my product will behave once inside the treatment area, and how to get the best use of the product using the least amount possible within the least amount of time possible (least number of sessions, least amount of product administered and achieve the best results).” Says Dr Gabriela Casabona, head of aesthetic department, Ocean Clinic, Marbella.
HEAT and Injectable fillers
To illustrate how to apply the HEAT concept within her practice, Gabriela explained that if, for example, she was setting out to achieve projection of the zygoma area (cheekbone area) using fillers, she would opt for injecting a bolus - the cannula is placed at a deeper layer and kept still while the filler is administered, to achieve a static ‘bolus’ of product which keeps its shape and position - “if I want to save product and create the optimum effect, I need to locate the exact layer and use the right amount of product to create a perfect bolus and achieve the right amount of projection. If I were to use retrograde technique (instead of a bolus) - this is where filler is injected in traces, small amounts over an area as the cannula moves - the same amount of projection would not be achievable using the same amount of product, it would need much more”, she explains.
HEAT and biostimulators
When it comes to biostimulators, another example of applying the HEAT concept is that some biostimulators accumulate in an area and create volume - but if we want a rejuvenation/regeneration effect in the tissue, we need the product to spread, we don’t want an accumulation, we want to rejuvenate the whole area. To know which product to select for which area, and how to apply it most effectively is vital to the HEAT concept.
HEAT and Ultherapy
If a patient was undergoing Ultherapy to achieve a non-invasive facelift, the practitioner would analyze and target the SMAS (Sub-Muscular Aponeurotic System) - a thin layer of strong connective tissue on the face. The SMAS is vital in anti-aging medicine as it is probably the most important support structure of the face. It surrounds and connects to both deeper tissue and the muscles that are responsible for our facial expressions. "I have to target the whole fascia system, the SMAS, and the skin. If I don’t use an ultrasound to locate the SMAS I will assume that a patient’s will lie at around 4.5mm, if she actually had her SMAS located at 3mm, for example, then I would have gone in too deep, administered the energy at a level where the result would not be as effective as at the correct level. When I look at the result, it won’t be as good as if I had gone to the correct target to achieve lifting", says Gabriela.
HEAT and Neuromodulators
When we inject neuromodulators there are two main decisions: where we inject to be most effective and how much product to apply. For best longevity my neuromoduator needs to be injected into the muscle. At Ocean Clinic we apply the HEAT concept, mapping our patients with USG. This means we can define precisely where the muscle is and how deep to inject - this aids in choosing the right needle and points at which to inject. This gives a better effect with less risk of heavy forehead or misplacements of points with the need for touch ups.
For more information on our HEAT concept, aesthetic and cosmetic treatments, please contact Ocean Clinic, Marbella today.