Injectables for the Treatment of Facial Line, Wrinkles, and Folds
Hylaform Injectables
Injectable fillers (“wrinkle fillers“) has become one of the most popular products in the plastic surgery world. Surgeons will use these products to treat facial wrinkles and thin lips. Under the care of their physician, millions of people, worldwide, have successfully used these face and lip fillers. With hylaform injectables, results can be seen immediately. Additionally, there is little to no down time. People can return to their daily routine and work schedule right after treatment.
Hyalform is the generic term for the injectable fillers made from the natural substance, hyaluronic acid. Also known as hyaluronan, hyaluronic acid is found in nearly all of the body’s tissues such as skin, cartilage, and bone. It is a gel-like substance that fills the space between the collagen and elastic fibers that are the body’s essential building blocks. Hyaluronic acid is a water-loving substance that draws water to it, binds the water, and then expands to fill the space it occupies. Even as it breaks down, the acid continues to bind water and expand, thus accounting for it’s long-lasting characteristic. Its function is to hydrate tissues such as the skin, fill or plump the tissues to give fullness and volume, and offer a cushioning effect.
These filler injections are synthesized by using a safe process that incorporates the use of safe bacteria to produce the needed quantities of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronan contains no proteins, thus minimizing the risk of transmitting any illnesses or causing allergic reactions. The hylaforms are one of the most studied skin filler material. Numerous research reports have been published in the medical literature. It has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds.
Surgeons inject hylaforms into the dermis of the skin, directly under the wrinkle or fold requiring treatment. These filler injections provides added volume to the treated area of skin. It plumps or balloons the skin from the inside out to erase the wrinkle. Generally, no anesthetic is given prior to treatment. However, Dr. Lent can offer you the option of applying a topical or injectable local anesthetic. Board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Warren Lent, can usually perform the entire process in about 15 minutes. Surgeons most commonly treat the following areas:
- The laugh lines around the mouth called the nasolabial folds
- The lines that extend down from the corners of the mouth called the marionette lines
- The lines in the forehead especially between the eyebrows and the fine lines around the lips
Lip Augmentation can also be performed with these products. The beneficial effect from the hylaforms typically lasts from 3 to 6 months.
Hylaform injectable gels are made by several different companies under a variety of trade names such as Restylane, Juvaderm and Captique. All are similar, in that they are a cross-linked hyaluronic acid made by similar techniques.
Restylane
Restylane is perhaps the best known of all the hylaforms. It is produced by Medicis Aesthetics Corporation and has been used on several million patients. A similar product made by the same company, called Perlane, is purported to contain slightly larger molecules of hyaluronan allowing it to last longer.
Juvederm
Juvederm is a similar hyaluronic acid product that is made by a company called Allergan. Allergan is the same company that makes botox.
Collagen
Collagen is the natural protein building blocks of the body. All of the body’s organs and tissues are made with collagen fibers. It gives the body its strength and structure. First introduced to the public in the late 1980’s, collagen was the first of the injectable fillers for facial lines and folds. The injectable version is bovine derived and puffs out lines and lips from the inside by acting as structural filler to the skin.
A plastic surgeon can inject collagen into almost any location on the face where wrinkles occur. Most commonly, it is used to fill the nasolabial folds, smile lines, laugh lines and lines of the forehead. It has also been very popular for lip augmentation.
Since Collagen is a protein, there is a small risk of an allergic reaction. A skin test is therefore required for all patients who are considering collagen injections. This will help to screen out those who are among the 3% of the population that are allergic to collagen. Dr. Lent recommends that each patient undergo 2 skin tests over a 6-week period. Collagen treatment usually only takes about 15 minutes. However, the benefits typically last for 2 to 4 months.
Captique
Captique is another popular version of the hylaform injectable gel. The same company that makes the popular line of breast augmentation implants, makes Captique. Captique is known to be slightly softer and more pliable than the other products.
The hylaforms are generally thought to be safe. Since they contain no proteins, there is very little risk of an allergic reaction. No skin test therefore is required prior to their first use. There is no waiting period prior to the start of treatment. The safety of the hylaforms has been well documented. However, like all medical products, there can be some risks associated with their use. The risks include swelling, redness, pain, bruising, tenderness, and red or small raised bumps. These side effects usually resolve in a week or less.
Restylane, Juvaderm and Captique can all be used in conjunction with other plastic surgical procedures such as a facelift, forehead/brow lift, laser eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, and with facial implants. Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Dr. Warren Lent, has performed thousands of these procedures with great success. To best understand all of your options, a full consultation with Dr. Warren Lent is recommended.
Here at Dr. Warren Lent’s office, we show care for each patient from the initial consultation to the final post-surgery call. We look forward to hearing from you. For more information about the wrinkle fillers, lip fillers, or face fillers, costs, or questions, please contact us at:
150 North Robertson Blvd. Suite 140
Beverly Hills, Ca 90211