Diagnostic ultrasound has been around in medicine for many years. Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) involves using smaller more portable machines at the patient's bedside as a diagnostic tool in environments such as intensive care and emergency departments.
Facial POCUS is the latest development in the last 10 years or so in cosmetic medicine where ultrasound has been used for diagnosis and to assist treatments of various cosmetic medical complications, especially those related to dermal fillers.
Dr Hooi has many years of ultrasound experience in emergency medicine and has carried over this experience in cosmetic medicine over the last 5 years.
Dr Hooi is a panel member for AMET and can assist other practitioners in the management of urgent cases in the Sydney area.
What can facial ultrasound do for me?
Facial POCUS can be of assistance in the diagnosis and management of
Lumps, bumps and persistent swelling in the face
Urgent complications after facial injections
Mapping the architecture of facial vessels in areas where there is a higher risk of injection;
Or, simply to discern what is present in the patient's skin after previous treatments
For further information, please go to our Contact page to send cosmetic MD an email or call us to organise a consultation.
EXAMPLE ULTRASOUND IMAGES
(all performed by Dr HOOI)
Lumpiness The image shows several dark areas at varying depths in the skin beside the chin. This is dermal filler and demonstrates poor injecting technique. The patient complained of lumpiness and swelling near the chin for 6 months following a treatment. The problem was evident on POCUS - too much filler has been placed into the area and would require removal
Lumpiness The image shows several dark areas at varying depths in the skin at the top of the cheek below the right eye but above the bone of the cheek. This is dermal filler and demonstrates either poor injecting technique or product migration. The patient complained of lumpiness and swelling near the lower eyelid following a treatment. The problem was evident on POCUS - the filler was seen in an unintended area and had to be removed
Is this filler? The image shows two fuzzy areas in the cheek skin. The patient had had cheek injections overseas over 15 years earlier and had requested an ultrasound to see what was happening. She didn't report any lumpiness or swelling. The reason the areas are fuzzy or indistinct is because they are made of a material in which the ultrasound waves do not penetrate - in this case, silicone oil
Lip filler migration The image is a Doppler image of the upper lip showing some darker areas just below the skin which is dermal filler. The several white appearing structures at the bottom of the image are some of the upper teeth. The coloured areas in the centre of the lip are portions of the upper lip artery, just above this, the darker area extending across the image is the orbicularis oris muscle.
