Dermal Fillers

Frequently Asked Questions:

What are Dermal Fillers?
The skin's natural aging process in combination with sun damage and other factors manifests as changes in facial contours. Our skin loses some of its elasticity and begins to sag. Dermal fillers reverse this sagging by “plumping up” and adding volume to the treated areas.

Among the most effectively treated areas are the nasolabial folds (those smiles lines or “parentheses” that run from the bottom of your nose to the corners of your mouth), around the mouth/lips, and under the eyes.

Do your physicians have much experience with Dermal Fillers?
Our clinicians have treated literally hundreds of patients with fillers. Moreover, they are trained in advanced techniques of filler use, and are experts at both the art and science of achieving the best esthetic results.

How do you select a Dermal Filler?
Dozens of filling agents, called Dermal Fillers, are currently available. We have incorporated the ones we feel most confident about into our cosmetic practice. Your physician will evaluate your needs and in consultation with you about the options, determine which filler is best suited to address a particular skin defect.

Fillers are sometimes categorized by duration – temporary, semi-permanent, or permanent. New to the market are injectable permanent fillers, but we are not offering them as yet, given that they can only be removed surgically, and there have been some complications. (At the Dermatology & Clinical Skin Care Center, we are not early adopters of new treatments that come on the market; instead for your safety, we prefer to wait until they have been proven.)

What Dermal Fillers do you offer today?

Restylane® and Juvéderm™

Restylane and Juvéderm are gels that are injected into the skin in order to add volume to lift up wrinkles and folds. They consist of hyaluronic acid, which is a natural substance already present in your body. Once in the skin, Restylane® and Juvéderm work by creating volume.

During treatment, the gel is injected into the skin in tiny amounts with a very fine needle. The gel produces volume under the wrinkle, which is lifted up and smoothed out. When enhancing lips or facial contours, Restylane® and Juvéderm add volume and shape to the treated area.

Within both the Restylane and Juvéderm lines, there are two different “flavors” available (Perlane and Juvéderm Plus). The distinguishing characteristics are differences in particle size, which provide for variations in product consistencies. Thicker consistencies are used for deeper wrinkles and folds, and thinner consistencies are used for finer ones.

Radiesse®

Radiesse is a Dermal Filler for the correction of facial lines and wrinkles and for adding volume to areas such as sunken-in cheeks. Radiesse is made of unique calcium-based microspheres suspended in a natural gel that is injected into the skin through a minimally invasive procedure.

Radiesse works below the skin’s surface. Tiny calcium-based microspheres form a “scaffold” to support and stimulate the growth of your own collagen to create a natural, full, youthful look. Radiesse does more than just temporarily fill in facial lines and wrinkles – it rebuilds your skin’s foundation, without the risks associated with permanent fillers.

Sculptra™

Sculptra is a synthetic injectable material known as "poly-L-lactic acid." Poly-L-lactic acid has been widely used for many years in dissolvable stitches, and soft tissue implants. Its composition is especially well suited to increasing volume where needed.

Sculptra is injected below the surface of the skin. Treatments provide a gradual increase in skin volume.

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. Collagen as dermal filler is now available in the forms of CosmoPlast® and CosmoDerm®. They are the only FDA-approved, commercially available fillers that contain natural human collagen. They do not require a pre-treatment skin test. This natural human collagen has been purified from dermal tissue grown under controlled laboratory conditions.

They are injected just below the surface of the skin, filling in unwanted lines and wrinkles and adding definition to the lip border. For Acne Scars, they offer a temporary leveling to make the skin appear smooth.

Is there any down time associated with dermal fillers?
Immediately after the treatment, you can expect slight redness, swelling, possible bruising, tenderness or an itching sensation in the treated area. This is a normal result of the injection. The discomfort is temporary and generally disappears in a few days. After a lip treatment, the lips may become swollen. This can persist for a few days. If the discomfort continues, please contact your physician. There is no limitation on activity following treatment. Due to the potential of swelling and bruising, it is recommended to schedule filler injections at least one week prior to any special occasion.

Restylane®
Before/After Photos:

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