Dermal Fillers - The Ultimate SkinLifting Agent...
Restore what time has taken away.
What are injectable dermal fillers?
Injectable fillers are substances designed to:
- Enhance Volume,
- Erase Wrinkles,
- Augment Lips,
- Induce Collagen Production, and
- Overall restore the youthful 3-dimensional contour of the face.
There are many filler choices: hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring human protein responsible for cushioning the skin (Juvederm™, Restylane™, Perlane) and newer fillers or volumisers that are meant to fill larger volume loss like sunken cheeks, lost cheekbones, and very deep nasolabial folds and marionette lines (such as Teosyal Ultra Deep, Teosyal Deep Lines and poly-L-lactic acid / Sculptra™). Newer generation fillers such as Evolence are made from natural collagen and can be used for the same indications such as hyaluronic acid dermal fillers except lip augmentation.
What are the dermal fillers made from?
Hyaluronic acid dermal fillers are produced by human genes inserted into a bacterium for reproduction (Juvederm™, Restylane ™, Perlane™) It is a highly "conserved" protein, meaning that its genetic composition is almost exactly the same in 97% of animal species. This gives an extremely low incidence of allergic reactions; hence there is no need for pre-treatment skin testing.
If you think of the skin as a 3-dimensional lattice with the structure mostly composed of collagen (which are like large ropes intertwined on each other) and elastin (which gives it its bounce and keeps it from getting stiff), then hyaluronic acid is the gel that is found between these structural proteins in the skin to cushion them. Thus, it has a very natural feel and cannot be seen since it is clear. Hyaluronic acid is hygroscopic which means that it draws water very strongly to it, yielding a larger volume effect than the material would have by itself.
What are the typical areas that are treated?
The typical areas treated are
- Nasolabial folds (lines from the end of the nose to the end of the lips),
- Perioral area (wrinkles around the lips),
- Wrinkles of the cheeks, and
- Marionette lines (lines from the corners of the mouth to the jawline, accentuating the downturn of the mouth) and
- Lip augmentation which provides definition without looking overdone to lips which have become thin and wrinkled.
- Other areas include filling in acne scars,
- "Tear-trough deformity" (hollow under-eye circles), hollow cheeks, cheek-lift, brow-lift and
- Resculpting the jaw line by lessening the effect of jowls and sagging.
Artistically performed injectable fillers can improve your appearance within one week.
Dermal fillers such as Juvederm can also be used to improve ageing hands, décolleté and skin. Multiple micro injections are placed in the dermis attracts water and instantly plump up the skin.
|
What kind of wrinkles do dermal fillers treat?
To understand the various treatments of wrinkles, one must understand that there are different kinds of wrinkles, dynamic wrinkles and static wrinkles. Dynamic wrinkles are those wrinkles and lines that appear when your face is animated. Static wrinkles are those facial lines that are evident even when our face is at rest and is better treated with dermal fillers. Unlike Botox, dermal fillers can be used to treat both dynamic and static wrinkles.
When we were younger and our skin had abundant collagen, the only lines and wrinkles we had were dynamic. Our face was otherwise wrinkle-free when we weren't animated. All dynamic wrinkles, with age, will eventually lead to static wrinkles as collagen is depleted and constant motion "cracks" the skin. Dynamic Wrinkles are caused by facial expressions and repetitive facial movements. Each time we use a facial muscle, a groove forms beneath the surface of the skin, which is why we see lines form with each facial expression. As skin ages and loses its elasticity, the skin stops springing back to its line-free state, and these grooves become permanently etched on the face as fine lines and wrinkles.
Static wrinkles are wrinkles that are evident even when our face is at rest. Sleeping positions are one of the main causes of static wrinkles. Resting your face on the pillow in the same way every night for years on end also leads to wrinkles. Called sleep lines, these wrinkles eventually become etched on the surface of the skin and no longer disappear when the head is not resting on the pillow. Women, who tend to sleep on their sides, are most likely to see these lines appear on their chin and cheeks. Men tend to notice these lines on the forehead since they usually sleep with the face pressed face down on the pillow. People who sleep on their backs do not develop these wrinkles since their skin does not lie crumpled against the pillow. Unlike Botox, dermal fillers can be used to treat both dynamic and static wrinkles.
When should one start using dermal fillers?
Wrinkle treatment should start as soon as one sees a wrinkle developing when the wrinkles are still "soft". If these wrinkles are neglected they become "ingrained" and "scar like" they are impossible to treat successfully. If we intervene early and fill in wrinkles with dermal fillers, then we can prevent the breaks in the skin, commonly known as wrinkles. In addition, if the wrinkles are filled up with fillers, this exerts pressure on the fibroblasts in the area and collagen is stimulated which then gets incorporated into the wrinkle area and causes prolonged filling effects and wrinkle improvement. Repeated filler injections (every 6 to 12 months) will ensure a superior long term result as collagen is continually stimulated. In addition to wrinkles, often an ageing face is less about a softening jawline and more about losing volume higher up in the face viz the temples, the eyebrow area, the anterior and lateral cheeks. When the lower parts of the face start dropping, gravity is defied by lifting and replacing the lost volume with injections of dermal fillers in the upper parts of the face. Soft tissue volumizing techniques using dermal fillers reverse these atrophic changes, yielding outstanding results and all with minimal downtime.
How can advanced filler procedures give back a youthful appearance and help the ageing process?
Consumers are always interested in maintaining a youthful appearance, and as the global population's median age increases, this market is increasingly expanding. Numerous studies have shown that gravity is not the only determinant of ageing, which is a complex process involving tissue atrophy and bone resorption. These two factors create a hollowing and sagging appearance with a loss of facial volume and contours which have a profound effect on the appearance of the mid face. Most people can see that they are looking older but do not recognize that volume loss is the reason that their face is beginning to "sink" and "sag".
Traditionally surgical face lifts have been used to tighten skin and muscle and reduce the appearance of sagging but surgery cannot restore lost volume. For those who would rather steer clear of going under the knife to shave a few years off their appearance, a new aesthetic procedure that works without visible wounding the skin is quickly gaining popularity…The Liquid Facelift.
The Liquid Facelift is a facial contouring procedure that involves the use of strategically placed Botox and dermal fillers around the face. This "injectable facelift" can create a younger, plumper look and address concerns like lines, wrinkles, volume loss and sagging. This "injectable facelift" has been making a noticeable impact in aesthetic medicine during the past few years. It is typically more subtle than surgery and an increasing number of individuals are trying liquid facelift procedures before traditional face lift procedures.
Patients are not alone in having a difficult time seeing volume loss; many aesthetic clinicians do not fully recognize mid-face volume loss and the degree to which it contributes to facial aging.
Can dermal fillers be combined with other treatments?
At Clínica Privé dermal fillers are commonly performed at the same visit as Botox… the Liquid Facelift. Botox helps with the upper one-third of the face whereas injectable fillers generally help with the lower two-thirds. The combination is one of the most widely used and most effective methods of achieving a significant aesthetic improvement within 1-2 weeks time.
Fillers can be combined with just about any other aesthetic treatment that exists and at Clínica Privé fillers have been safely combined with LASER Skin Tightening on the majority of patients.
What To Expect After Using Dermal Fillers?
After the procedure you are provided an ice pack to take home which lessens the redness and swelling and advise you to periodically apply ice to the treated area for a couple of hours.
You may put makeup on immediately and resume whatever activities you have planned, as long as you recognize that you will be a little red and swollen for a half a day to a few days.
We usually ask you to come back a week later, when everything is settled to evaluate your results and ensure that you are satisfied with the outcome and have had no problems.
Try to avoid aspirin containing products or high-dosage vitamin E supplements for 48 hours before the filler procedure unless medically necessary. Avoidance of these for 10 days prior to the procedure is recommended to avoid bruising.
Are dermal fillers safe?
Hyaluronic acid dermal fillers are produced by human genes inserted into a bacterium for reproduction (Juvederm™, Restalyne ™, Perlane™).
It is a highly "conserved" protein, meaning that its genetic composition is almost exactly the same in 97% of animal species. This gives an extremely low incidence of allergic reactions, hence there is no need for pre-treatment skin testing.
The above mentioned fillers have been used in millions of patients for more than 10 years with a very low incidence of side effects and thus are considered very safe.
At Clínica Privé numerous patients have been treated with Juvederm with no side effects and great results.
After treatment with injectable filler, Laser Genesis is the treatment of choice to treat more advanced facial wrinkling issues. This procedure is done one day after a filler procedure and is repeated very 2 to 3 days for a total of 5 to 6 treatments for optimal results.
Laser Genesis post filler has a two fold benefit:
- The bruising post filler rapidly resolves, and
- The bruising present in the skin "post filler" attracts the heat from the laser and has a superior effect on treating the ingrained wrinkles.
