It has always been the goal of plastic surgery to achieve outcomes akin to the "fountain of youth", however, since shortly before the new millennium the expectations have risen. Today the goal is to provide patients with the fountain of youth but with no/minimal signs of having had surgery (i.e. no "down time/recovery period"). The result of this pressure has led to the multitude of "minimally invasive" surgical and nonsurgical procedures from endoscopic forehead lifts, face lifts and breast augmentation to collagen injections and Botox® treatments. Each one of these has their advantages and potential disadvantages.

Regarding the minimally invasive surgical procedures the disadvantage may be that unless you are in the hands of a cutting edge surgeon skilled in these techniques "minimally invasive" may lead to minimal results. Of course the expected advantage is to achieve youthful rejuvenation with minimal scarring and recovery. Regarding the nonsurgical, mostly injectable procedures, the main disadvantage is that the results are rather finite lasting only several months before the treatment is again required. The advantages are that these procedures can be done efficiently in an exam room, relatively quickly and painlessly, with essentially no "down time" and no scarring. The pressure on this end of the plastic surgery market has been to develop a product that has these advantages but has significantly more staying power. An injectable product such as this has recently become available and it is called Radiance FN®.

Radiance has the ability to fill facial lines and wrinkles as well as enhance cheeks, cheek bones, and lips. The best thing about Radiance is that it lasts for three to five years - that is 10-15 times longer than traditional collagen injections. The main ingredient in Radiance is calcium hydroxylapatite - a natural occurring substance in the human body and a material that has been used for other purposes in medicine/surgery for over two decades with a safe track record. Currently, Radiance is the next closest thing to the "fountain of youth in a syringe."