Glossary of Terms

Simple, non-technical explanations of the main words and phrases relating to cosmetic facial treatments in general, and Sculptra® in particular:

Atrophy: degeneration or shrinkage [1]

Aesthetic surgery: plastic or cosmetic surgery [2]

Aesthetic treatment: any treatment carried out for the purposes of improving appearance

Biocompatible: not having toxic or harmful effects on biological function [3]

Biodegradable: capable of being decomposed by bacteria [3]

Botox: a branded preparation of botulinum toxin type A which is injected into specific muscles and used by cosmetic surgeons to smooth frown lines temporarily [4]

Buccal concavity: inward curves or depressions around the mouth [3]

Chemical peels: the application of a chemical solution to improve the texture of the facial skin by removing its damaged outer layers [5]

Collagen: the fibrous protein constituent of bone, cartilage, tendon, and other connective tissue [6]

Contours: the shape or surface [3]

Contraindications: factors that makes administering a drug or carrying out a medical procedure inadvisable [3]

Corticosteroids: steroid hormones produced by the adrenal cortex (or similar synthetic substances) that affect metabolism and immune response [3]

Crows feet: wrinkles at the outer corner of the eyes (also known as laughter lines) [7]

Dermal fillers: substances which are injected into the skin to improve facial contours [8]

Dermal thickness: the thickness of the inner layer of the skin [9]

Dermis: the sensitive inner layer of the skin [10]

Ecchymosis: the escape of blood from ruptured blood vessels into the tissues, marked by a livid black-and-blue or purple area, and the discoloration so caused [11]

Elastin: a protein which is the main constituent of elastic fibres [12]

Epidermis: the outermost layer of the skin [13]

Embolism: the sudden blocking of an artery by a clot or foreign material in the blood [14]

Face lift: surgery to remove wrinkles and other signs of ageing from the face, in which an incision is made near the hairline and the skin is pulled back and excess tissue excised [15]

Facial lipoatrophy: the loss of fat beneath the skin, which can result in sunken cheeks, indentations and hollow eyes [16]

Fat transfer: a method of plumping up facial features by injecting fat from other parts of the patients own body [17]

Fibroblast: an immature fibre-producing cell of connective tissue [18]

Granuloma formulation: the formation of chronically inflamed tissue with granulations, which is usually associated with infection [3]

Hypodermis: another name for the epidermis [19]

Injectable PLLA: the injectable form of poly-l-lactic acid [20]

Intradermal layer: a layer within the skin [21]

Intralesional: within a cancerous area, such as a skin tumour [22]

Jowl: the jaw, especially the lower one [23]

Keloid formation: the formation of a hard, smooth, raised growth of scar tissue [24]

Keratin: any of a family of scleroproteins that are the main constituents of the epidermis, hair, nails and horny tissues [25]

Laser resurfacing: (also known as lasabrasion, laser peel or laser vaporisation) a treatment for reducing facial wrinkles and skin irregularities that involves removing skin very precisely by directing concentrated pulsating beams of light at the chosen area [26]

Lip augmentation: increasing the fullness of the lips [27]

Lipoatrophy: atrophy of subcutaneous fatty tissues [6]

Local anaesthetic: a substance that numbs a specific area of the body [28]

Liposuction: the removal of unwanted body fat by suction [29]

Lyophilisate: a stable preparation of a biological substance such as blood plasma created by rapid freezing and dehydration under high vacuum [30]

Marionette lines: lines or folds extending downwards from either side of the mouth [31]

Melanin: the pigment that colours the skin, hair and the iris of the eyes [32]

Microdermabrasion: a skin resurfacing technique that uses abrasive crystals to even out skin irregularities [33]

Nasolabial fold/lines: Ridges or edges that appear from the root of the nose to the angle of the mouth [31]

Non-invasive surgery: surgical techniques carried out without making an incision in the skin [34]

Nodules: small lumps [3]

Oedema: the accumulation of an excess of fluid (mainly water) in the body [35]

Oral rhytides (or rhytides): wrinkles around the mouth [36]

Orbital rim: the edge of the orbital opening in the skull around the eye [6]

Perioral: around the mouth [19]

Periorbital: around the eye [6]

Periocular overcorrections: overcorrections around the eye [37]

Photoageing: damage to the skin caused by overexposure to sunlight [38]

Poly-l-lactic acid: a new injectable soft tissue filler designed to stimulate neocollagenesis, increase dermal thickness, and enhance facial volume [20]

Polymer: a chemical compound that has large molecules made up of many relatively simple repeated units [6]

Rhytidectomy: a face lift [39]

Sebaceous glands: glands in the skin that secrete sebum (a combination of fat, keratin, and cellular material) [40]

Skin infarction: a localised area of dead tissue resulting from obstruction of the blood supply [3]

Stratum corneum: the outermost layer of the epidermis [41]

Subcutaneously: beneath the skin [3]

Subcutaneous layer: the tissue layer beneath the skin [19]

Temple concavity: sunken areas around the temples [3]

Viscosity: the extent to which a liquid resists the tendency to flow [6]

Volumising treatment: a treatment that adds to the volume of tissue around a particular area [42]

References

Reference [1] http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=2389

Reference [2] http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/aesthetic+surgery

Reference [3] Oxford Dictionary

Reference [4] http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=19687

Reference [5] http://www.plasticsurgery.org/patients_consumers/procedures/ChemicalPeel.cfm

Reference [6] http://www.stedmans.com/section.cfm/45

Reference [7] http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Crows+feet

Reference [8] http://surgicare.co.uk/cosmetic-treatments/dermal-fillers.asp

Reference [9] Vega et al. AIDS. 2003;17:2471-2977

Reference [10] http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=2958

Reference [11] http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=3180

Reference [12] http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=24541

Reference [13] http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=3278

Reference [14] http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=13917

Reference [15] http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=3368

Reference [16] http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/Lipoatrophy_4794.shtml

Reference [17] http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/CosmeticSurgery/DH_4121538

Reference [18] http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=24766

Reference [19] Dorlands Medical Dictionary

Reference [20] http://www.sciencedirect.com

Reference [21] http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/intradermal

Reference [22] http://www.cancer.gov/Templates/db_alpha.aspx?CdrID=44684

Reference [23] http://www.thefreedictionary.com/jowl

Reference [24] http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=4090

Reference [25] http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=4091

Reference [26] http://www.medicinenet.com/laser_resurfacing/article.htm

Reference [27] http://www.medicinenet.com/lip_augmentation/article.htm

Reference [28] http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=10937

Reference [29] http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=7855

Reference [30] http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cgi-bin/omd?action=Search+OMD&query=lyophilisate

Reference [31] http://www.ukcosmeticsurgery.info/theguide/node/74

Reference [32] http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=4340

Reference [33] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microdermabrasion

Reference [34] http://www.thefreedictionary.com/noninvasive

Reference [35] http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=3192

Reference [36] http://clinicalevidence.bmj.com/ceweb/conditions/skd/1711/1711_background.jsp

Reference [37] http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/periocular

Reference [38] http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/photoaging

Reference [39] http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Plastic-surgery/Pages/Introduction.aspx?url=Pages/what-is-it.aspx

Reference [40] http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=5427

Reference [41] http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=9550

Reference [42] Sculptra® Product Information