Injectable Fillers
Fillers are injectable substances used to improve the appearance of deep lines usually in the nasolabial folds, marionette lines, forehead and frown area. Fillers can also be used to enhance the lips.
Basically, there are three types of fillers available today. There are temporary, longer-lasting, and permanent fillers that are made from a wide range of substances. The most widely used temporary fillers are Juvederm and Restylane, which are hyaluronic acids. These are substances naturally occurring within your body. However, they are degraded over time and can last between 1-2 years.
Voluma™
As you age, it’s not just about lines and wrinkles. Your cheeks can lose volume and skin may begin to sag. JUVÉDERM VOLUMA® XC is the firstFDA-approved injectable gel to add volume to your cheek area to correct age-related volume loss in adults over the age of 21.
Juvederm™
Touted as the “next generation” of facial fillers, Juvederm™ injectable gels gently smooth wrinkles and folds around the mouth and nose and restore a youthful volume to the face. Made with hyaluronic acid, a natural substance found in the body that works with collagen and elastin to provide volume and support to the skin, Juvederm® is especially effective on smile lines and “parentheses” (nasolabial folds) that run from the bottom of the nose to the sides of the mouth. Treatment takes approximately 15 minutes.
Radience (or Radiesse) and Sculptra are longer-lasting in many cases, but not permanent.
Bellafill and Artefill, are permanent filler that were recently approved by the FDA. Many patients get tired of frequent return visits for re-injection and will be thrilled to have a permanent solution. However, because the permanence, greater skill and training are required for its injection and a skin test must be done prior, to rule out allergic reaction.
Below is a list of fillers the surgeons at Selarom use and more detailed information.
Restylane® / Perlane®/Restylane Silk®
Approved by the FDA, Restylane® is designed to smooth wrinkles, sculpt lips and shape facial contours. Restylane® is a clear transparent gel composed of hyaluronic acid, a natural substance that is found throughout your body. This acid is not of animal or human origin, which means that there is no risk of allergic reaction. The most common areas for a Restylane® treatment are the glabellar lines (between the eyebrows) and the nasolabial folds (from the root of the nose to the angle of your mouth). With its unique ability to bind with water, Restylane® remains in your skin for 1-2 years. Just like Restylane®, Perlane® is a clear gel formulation of hyaluronic acid that is specifically formulated to act like your body’s own hyalauronic acid, adding volume and fullness to the skin. Restylane Silk® is designed specifically to provide volume to the lip area. That’s why it is made of smaller, smoother particles than those used in other Restylane® products for more superficial wrinkles and fine lines.
Radiesse™
Radiesse™ is a synthetic injectable filler that can reduce wrinkles, creases and scars by augmenting the body’s natural collagen supply. Composed of microspheres in a biocompatible gel, Radiesse™ is made from the same minerals found in our bones, so it carries little risk of allergic reaction. Radiesse™ can be used on many areas of the body, including the lips, nasolabial folds, peri-oral lines, depressed scars and oral commissures.
Treatments typically take 15 minutes and require only local anesthetic. Side effects such as swelling or bruising are minimal and should fade within a few days.
Sculptra™
Sculptra™ is an injectable product used to counteract the loss of fat beneath the skin (a condition called lipoatrophy). Sculptra™ is injected into the deep dermis layer of the skin to improve the appearance of sunken cheeks, hollow eyes, indentations and wrinkles. Its main component is an alpha hyrdoxy acid that has been used for 20 years in surgical products such as dissolvable sutures.
Bellafill®, formerly known as Artefill® is a gel filler consisting of millions of synthetic microspheres (polymethylmethacrylate or PMMA) suspended in purified bovine (cow) collagen. It is a permanent filler that must first be tested on the patient, in a discreet area, to confirm no allergy or long-term skin sensitivity. It is often used after a short acting filler has been tried to ensure patient satisfaction.