'Nefertiti lift' using botox, sculpts skin around jawline, chin.

WAIKOLOA, HAWAII -- The look of an ancient royal Egyptian female statue--referred to as "Nefertiti"--can be achieved with well-placed injections of Botox, according to Dr. David J. Goldberg.

"It's called the "Nefertiti lift," Dr. Goldberg said at the annual Hawaii dermatology seminar sponsored by Skin Disease Education Foundation. (Nefertiti was the wife of the pharaoh Akhenaten; she lived from 1370 to 1330 BC,)

"It's a softening of the chin by getting the bands of the platysma as they insert along the mandible. It's a way of recontouring the jawline." He described the look as a "liquid facelift."

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Dr. Phillip M. Levy first described the Nefertiti lift and reported the results of injecting Botox (Allergan Inc.) using this method into the lower chin (J. Cosmet. Laser Ther. 2007;9:249-52). Of 130 patients who were treated over a 6-month period, 126 achieved immediate results with minimum adverse events.

The patients, all female, with a median age of 47 years, had noticeable recontouring of the chin and elevation of the skin at the jawline.

"The success of this technique is due to manipulation of the opposing effects of the platysmal complex" with Botox, wrote Dr. Levy, of Geneva.

Injected in this area, the substance will improve the definition of the mandibular border and angle, while elevating the corners of the mouth, said Dr. Goldberg. And you are able to get to the platysma and its small bands. It gives the visual effect of a minilift.

"It really drapes the skin of the jawline," he added. "It's amazing how much we can accomplish without surgery," said Dr. Goldberg, director of laser research and Mohs surgery at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York.

The patients received 2-3 U of Botox injected along and under each mandible, and to the upper part of the posterior platysmal band. Patients were asked to contract their platysmal muscle during injection.

"You have to see those bands inserted along the mandible. You can't just haphazardly inject," he said.

The total amount of Botox used was 15-20 U per side.

Dr. Goldberg recommended following up with patients at 2 weeks but described the results as being "really quite impressive."

Touch-ups can be performed at follow-up if needed, he added.

Dr. Levy has been a consultant to Allergan. Dr. Goldberg disclosed no relevant financial conflicts of interest.

SDEF and this news organization are wholly owned subsidiaries of Elsevier.

BY GREG MUIRHEAD

Contributing Writer