Dermal Fillers & Injectables
Soft-tissue fillers, most commonly injectable collagen or fat, can help fill in these lines and creases, temporarily restoring a smoother, more youthful-looking appearance. When injected beneath the skin, these fillers plump up creased and sunken areas of the face. They can also add fullness to the lips and cheeks. Injectable fillers may be used alone or in conjunction with a resurfacing procedure, such as a laser treatment, or a recontouring procedure, such as a facelift.
The most important fact to remember about injectable fillers is that the results are not permanent. Injected material is eventually metabolized by the body. You should not expect the same long-lasting results that may be gained from cosmetic surgery.
Deep folds in the face or brow caused by overactive muscles or by loose skin may be more effectively treated with cosmetic surgery, such as a facelift or browlift. Injectables are sometimes used in conjunction with facial surgery procedures; however, injectables alone cannot change facial contour the way surgery can.
Planning for Treatment
Facial rejuvenation is very individualized. That’s why it’s important to discuss your hopes and expectations with a board-certified plastic surgeon who has experience with many different types of surgical and non-surgical facial procedures.
In your initial consultation, your plastic surgeon will evaluate your face – the skin, the muscles and the underlying bone – and discuss your goals for the surgery. Your doctor will help you select a treatment option based on your goals and concerns, your anatomy and your lifestyle.
The Treatments
Restylane
Restylane is a safe and natural cosmetic dermal filler that restores volume and fullness to the skin to correct facial wrinkles and folds, such as nasolabial folds.
Restylane is a cosmetic dermal filler made of hyaluronic acid, a natural substance that already exists in the human body. The hyaluronic acid in Restylane is a crystal-clear gel called NASHA™ or Non-Animal Stabilized Hyaluronic Acid. NASHA is completely biocompatible with human hyaluronic acid.
Restylane maintains its shape using the body’s own moisture. The hyaluronic acid in Restylane is hydrophilic or “water loving.”
As hyaluronic acid gradually degrades, each molecule binds to more water and over time, the same volume can be maintained with less hyaluronic acid. This ability of hyaluronic acid to bind to water is what helps provide lasting results.
Collagen
Collagen is a naturally occurring protein that provides support to various parts of the human body: the skin, the joints, the bones and the ligaments. Injectable collagen, patented by the Collagen Corporation under the trade names Zyderm and Zyplast, is derived from purified bovine collagen. The purification process creates a product similar to human collagen.
Collagen is used primarily to fill wrinkles, lines and scars on the face and sometimes the neck, back and chest.
Treatment with collagen can begin after a skin test determines that you’re not allergic to the subsstance. The collagen is injected using a fine needle inserted at several points along the edge of the treatment site.
Since part of the substance is salt water that will be absorbed by the body within a few days, your doctor will slightly overfill the area. You may be asked to hold a hand mirror during the procedure to help your doctor decide when you’ve had enough.
Immediately following treatment, you may notice some minor discomfort, stinging or throbbing in the injected area. Occasionally some bruising or swelling will occur, but it is usually minor. Any redness that appears in the injected site usually disappears within 24 hours.
No bandaging is needed and you are free to eat, drink, and wear makeup with sunblock protection shortly thereafter. There may be some temporary swelling and redness in the treated area which should dissipate within a few days.
Collagen’s longevity depends on the patient’s lifestyle and physical characteristics as well as the part of the body treated. In general, the injected material is likely to disappear faster in areas that are more affected by muscle movement.
Fat
In the medical world, the fat-injection procedure is known as autologous fat transplantation or microlipoinjection. It involves extracting fat cells from the patient’s abdomen, thighs, buttocks or elsewhere and reinjecting them beneath the facial skin. Fat is most often used to fill in “sunken” cheeks or laugh lines between the nose and mouth, to correct skin depressions or indentations, to minimize forehead wrinkles and to enhance the lips.
After both the donor and recipient sites are cleansed and treated with a local anesthesia, the fat is withdrawn using a syringe with a large-bore needle or a cannula (the same instrument used in liposuction) attached to a suction device. The fat is then prepared and injected into the recipient site with a needle.
As with collagen, “overfilling” is necessary to allow for fat absorption in the weeks following treatment. When fat is used to fill sunken cheeks or to correct areas on the face other than lines, this overcorrection of newly injected fat may temporarily make the face appear abnormally puffed out or swollen.
If a larger area was treated, you may be advised to curtail your activity for a brief time. However, many patients are able to resume normal activity immediately. You can expect some swelling, bruising or redness in both the donor and recipient sites.
The duration of the fat injections varies significantly from patient to patient. Though some patients have reported results lasting a year or more, the majority of patients find that at least half of the injected fullness disappears within 3–6 months. Therefore, repeated injections may be necessary.
If you’re like most patients, you’ll be very satisfied with the results of your injectable treatments. You may be surprised at the pleasing results that can be gained from this procedure.
Content courtesy of PlasticSurgery.org
Bay Area plastic surgery provider Dr. Frank J. Piro offers all aspects of cosmetic surgery including surgery after massive weight loss, liposuction, rhinoplasty and breast augmentation. View plastic surgery photos in our photo gallery and tummy tuck photos, learn more about plastic surgery and schedule a consultation with this board certified plastic surgeon.
Northern California areas served: Bay Area - Peninsula - San Francisco - San Bruno - San Carlos - Belmont - Palo Alto - Mountain View - Hillsborough - Menlo Park - Burlingame - Foster City - Redwood Shores – Atherton
*required fields
Injectable collagen or fat can help improve the skin's texture by filling in the laugh lines and facial creases that often occur with aging.
Years of squinting and other facial muscle movements can take their toll on the eye area, leaving crow's feet and other noticeable lines.
After treatment, the skin around the eye area appears smoother and more taut.
Lines and creases that form around the mouth are usually caused by gravity and a breakdown of tissues beneath the skin.
The lower face appears firmer and smoother after treatment with injectables. Lines around the mouth are filled in and nearly imperceptible.
With regular follow-up treatments, your refreshed look can be easily maintained.