Injectable Dermal Fillers

With injectable dermal fillers such as Teosyal, Restylane, Juvederm, Juvederm Ultra XC and Juvederm Voluma, medical experts can help return volume to facial features for a more youthful roundness and fullness. These are quick and effective alternatives for patients who are not yet requiring or perhaps are not ready for surgery.

Popular Filler Options

In previous years, the best-known filling agent was probably collagen. Today, collagen treatments have practically disappeared as they proved to be a very temporary filling agent. Therefore, short-lasting products such as Zyplast and Cosmoderm, so popular a few years ago, are now not widely available and are seldom used.

Dermal fillers such as Juvederm Voluma, which takes the form of an injectable gel, is only one in the long and growing list of available hyaluronic acid based fillers – the most popular class of wrinkle-filling agents at this time. Hyaluronic acid is a molecule already present in skin and joints, but it has been modified with chemical “cross linkages” to allow these substances to persist after injection for many months. As mentioned, hyaluronic acid is the chief component of Teosyal, Restylane, Juvederm, Juvederm Ultra and Juvederm Voluma, a few commonly used dermal fillers. Hyaluronic acid is a molecule that attracts water and is therefore ideal for plumping up areas in the skin where we have lost tissue and/or volume, to treat facial wrinkles and folds.

For safety reasons and to get good results, patients should always be assessed by medical personnel who are experienced in evaluating facial anatomy and contours, and who have expertise in treating patients with fillers.

Facial Rejuvenation with Injectable Fillers

The primary features of aging are loss of tissue in the face and the descent of subcutaneous tissue caused by gravity. This results in hollows in the cheeks and underneath the eyes, deepening of folds around the mouth, and often the formation of jowls. These facial changes, which can sometimes contribute to a tired, worn-out look, can be corrected with injectable dermal fillers. Commonly treated concerns include:

• Nasolabial folds
• Puppet lines
• Tear troughs
• Thin, flat, or uneven lips
• Lines around the lips

Injectable Filler Treatments

Injectable filler treatments usually take about 20 minutes to complete, and the results are immediate. When treating particularly sensitive areas, such as lip enhancement (augmentation), patients may choose to have freezing; but, in most other areas discomfort is manageable with a topical numbing agent and simple ice. In fact, the comfort of filler injections has been enhanced in recent years, since many of the products are now manufactured with a local anesthetic agent, lidocaine, incorporated into the products themselves.

As with all wrinkle injections, there is always some risk of bruising or swelling, which is temporary and usually easily concealed with makeup. Patients can return to their usual activities, including work, immediately afterward. In very rare instances, more serious skin reactions have occurred, including infections, or lumps and bumps. There are mercifully very rare case reports of complications involving occlusion of blood vessels, which could lead to serious skin complications. One of the advantages of hyaluronic acid fillers is that they can be broken down and actually reversed by an enzyme, hyaluronidase. Therefore, there is an effective therapy available to help deal with lumps, bumps or other undesirable side effects. All potential side effects of these agents should be discussed in detail with patients before treatment.

Hyaluronic Acid Fillers

Mature patients who have developed hollows under the eyes or in the cheekbones as a result of their age, or folds and lines from mouth to nose (“nasolabial” lines) or from mouth to jawline (“marionette” lines) or jowls caused by gravity, may be excellent candidates for hyaluronic acid fillers. Note that younger patients can also benefit from filler treatments. Injectable fillers can be used with younger patients for plumper, more defined, sensuous lips and to prevent lipstick from bleeding into small lines that sometimes develop around the mouth.

Sculptra

Another new, temporary injectable filler is Sculptra, with its key ingredient poly-L-lactic acid. This is a synthetic material derived from fruit acids (which, in fact, have been used in suture material for many years). It is biocompatible and biodegradable, meaning it is virtually harmless to the body and is broken down naturally and eliminated.

Sculptra works by stimulating the body to produce its own natural collagen, and therefore results are not immediate and typically require 2 or 3 series of injections over a few months. Results, however, are long-lasting, often continuing for over 2 years.

Mature patients with multiple or larger areas of marked volume loss in the face, particularly those with thin and loose skin, are often ideal candidates for Sculptra treatment. It is also worth considering if you want a very long-lasting result or if you have been found that you get shorter-than-usual results with other dermal fillers. Note that Sculptra cannot be injected into the forehead, lips or neck.

Poly-L-lactic acid has been used for more than 30 years in dissolvable sutures and various other types of surgical implants. In fact, it has been used for cosmetic injection since 1999 in 30 countries. After treatment, patients are instructed to massage the treated area for 5 days to reduce the risk of small palpable bumps. Side effects of Sculptra are otherwise similar to those already mentioned for hyaluronic acid based fillers.

RADIESSE

Yet another dermal filler gaining in popularity is Radiesse. Radiesse is an artificial compound containing calcium hydroxyl apatite microspheres, suspended in a carboxymethyl cellulose gel. The body’s own connective tissue grows in and around the microspheres. Radiesse may have an advantage of being longer-lasting in some cases than hyaluronic acid fillers. Also, Radiesse is frequently used for improving the appearance of age-related changes in the hands.

Injectable Fillers: Cost & Related Procedures

Typically priced by the syringe, Restylane and other injectable filler treatment costs may vary depending on the number of syringes required by the patient. In addition, fillers can also be combined with other treatments for a more comprehensive rejuvenation. It’s always best to deal with reputable medical practitioners, rather than perhaps be swayed by an unreputable, temporary Juvederm sale. For medical professionals who may wonder how much does Juvederm cost wholesale – they are welcome to check Health Supplies Plus to review our affordable prices on genuine Juvederm products.

What to Expect After Your Filler Treatment

Experiences after filler injections vary with the filler used, location treated, and individual factors. In general, patients may experience some redness or swelling immediately following the procedure, which will usually subside shortly. Results with injectable fillers can be seen immediately, and patients can return to normal everyday activities after treatment.