DERMAL FILLERS
Dermal Fillers
Fillers like Restylane and Juvederm are used to fill in wrinkles and treat facial depressions and jowels that come with age. Unlike Botox, which relaxes facial muscles, fillers are substances that are injected under the skin or lips to plump up the tissues. Facial fillers replace skin fluid that, when lost, causes wrinkles. In youth, our skin is plump from the natural sugar called hyaluronic acid that attracts water, hydrating your skin. As we age, our skin thins by loss of collagen and fluid.
Restylane and Juvederm are smooth-consistency gels made of hyaluronic acid. These injectable gels are placed under the skin to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, providing a smooth, natural look and feel. These are crystal-clear biodegradable synthetic injectable gels. These products use NO animal-derived materials, so there is no need for a spot test before treatment.
Restylane and Juvederm are medium-volume injectable fillers with a larger molecular size to augment the lip and fill larger areas by lifting and adding volume. Medium-depth fillers are used for folds in the skin and deeper crevices, and they are very effective for naso-labial folds, which run from the corner of the nose to the corner of the mouth. They can also be effective for melo-labial folds (marionette lines) that run down from the corners of the mouth to the jaw, and for lip augmentation. These fillers are longer lasting than thin, superficial fillers.
Where are fillers used?
Fillers for skin wrinkling are usually used for nasolabial folds—laugh lines and smile lines—or bigger, deeper wrinkles. Fillers can also be used to augment facial anatomy, making bigger cheeks, chin, or filling in defects and scars. For laugh lines and smile lines the filler is injected to soften the fold. Patients must understand that the fold will not be totally eliminated (and consider that adults would look unnatural without any smile lines). For most patients with moderate to deep nasolabial folds a syringe of filler for each side is needed.
For the lips, fillers can increase lip size as well as enhance definition, as well as plump out lipstick lines. In the lips, the filler is used to enhance the natural lip outline and definition that is lost with aging. It is also used to plump the lips to actually make them bigger and to show more of the lip. For many patients, one syringe may be enough to plump both lips.
The newest application for fillers is to plump up the tear trough area under the eyes. Depressions in this area makes patients look hollow and tired, and by injecting fillers, it plumps out the depression and improves dark circles.
Ease the appearance of wrinkles and plump lips and cheeks for a renewed look. Fillers also lessen scars, and improve depressions around the eyes and dark circles.