Hyaluronic Acid | Juvéderm, Restylane, Fortelis
Soft tissue fillers, such as stabilized hyaluronic acid, are used to smooth moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds around the nose and mouth or shape facial contours. Hyaluronic acid has been used for the cosmetic treatment of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and soft tissue depressions.
Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance that is found within the body. It is a material that is contained in various soft tissues, such as the skin. Hyaluronic acid can be synthetically produced from a process of bacterial fermentation, chemically stabilized, and purified for use as an injectable soft tissue filler. Hyaluronic acid is a biocompatible product. There is little risk of animal-based disease transmission or allergic reaction.
Hyaluronic acid injections are customized for every patient, depending on his or her particular needs. These can be performed in areas involving the face and eyelid region, forehead, lips, hands. Hyaluronic acid cannot stop the process of aging. It can, however, temporarily diminish the look of wrinkles and soft tissue depressions.
Hyaluronic acid injections may be performed as a singular procedure, in combination with other treatments such as Botox, or as an adjunct to a surgical procedure. Hyaluronic acid injections may require regional nerve blocks or local anesthetic injections to diminish discomfort. Soft tissue fillers, including hyaluronic acid, produce temporary swelling, redness, bruising, and needle marks, which resolve after a few days time.
Continuing treatments are necessary in order to maintain the effect of Hyaluronic acid over time. Hyaluronic acid once injected will be slowly absorbed by the body. The duration of Hyaluronic acid injections is variable.
You are busy fulfilling your many roles as a parent, spouse, and provider. And then one day someone tells you that you look tired. At first, whether you are actually tired or not, you ignore it. After hearing the same remark several times, you look in the mirror and realize that you don’t look quite as well as you used to.
In our society, looking good, feeling well, and being competitive at all times is a necessity. Hesitantly, you start weighing your options. Is it time for cosmetic surgery? That is when you begin agonizing over surgical risk, expense, general anesthesia, and recovery. There is a feeling of excitement mixed with apprehension. Will you emerge afterward as a younger version of you, or will you stare at a stranger in the mirror for the rest of your life? How will your friends and colleagues react? Will they know you’ve had plastic surgery, or will they politely pretend that they believe you’ve been on vacation? Then there is the prospect of extended absence from work. You know that you’ve arrived at a point when you have to do something, but the thought of surgery is intimidating.
Fortunately, there are non-surgical cosmetic alternative procedures. Let’s explore cosmetic injectables versus surgery. Both can effectively address signs of aging. What specific issues can be remedied with cosmetic injectables? Well, for starters wrinkles, crow’s feet, undesirable skin depressions, laugh lines, the infamous nasolabial folds, and more.
Botox is a great solution for fine lines and wrinkles, particularly frown lines, crow’s feet, and forehead lines. It works by temporarily blocking “communication” between the nerves and muscles in the treated area. This prevents the muscle from contracting and therefore relaxes the skin which stops wrinkling. For continuing wrinkle management, Botox treatments need to be repeated every 3 to 6 months.
Unlike Botox which is derived from a deadly toxin (Botulinum), Hyaluronic acid injectables are biocompatible which means that they are accepted by the human body as its own substances. Treatments with hyaluronic acid injectables need to be repeated because the patient’s body gradually absorbs these semi-natural substances.
Hyaluronic acid injectables are made of a synthetic version of Hyaluronic acid, a substance naturally occurring in our bodies: in skin tissue, cartilage, joint, and eye fluid. With age, the natural levels of Hyaluronic acid in a human body become depleted causing dry, thin skin and the formation of wrinkles. Such well-known brands as Restylane® and Juvederm® are commercially prepared Hyaluronic acid based cosmetic fillers. (Juvederm® is commonly used to fill in the “parentheses” which run from the corners of the nose to the corners of the mouth.) Injecting Hyaluronic acid filler into facial wrinkles helps to minimize them. Another important effect Hyaluronic acid injectables create is the increase in skin’s volume which contributes to a younger appearance.
The duration of effect with Hyaluronic acid dermal fillers varies from person to person with an average duration of approximately 3 to 6 months. Hyaluronic acid injectables have been credited with stimulation of collagen production of the skin, which enhances and extends the duration of cosmetic results.
Once the aging process has led to the formation of deep laugh lines, furrows or skin folds, the injectable Hyaluronic acid filler may not be sufficient. Soft tissue injectable augmentation fillers were developed specifically for augmentation purposes. Soft tissue fillers as ArteFill and Radiesse™ can fill in and augment larger skin depressions.
Cosmetic injectables can be performed as an office non-invasive procedure under local anesthesia. In most cases, the time required for the procedure is from 15 minutes to one hour. It is realistic and possible to drop by for treatment during a lunch hour break at work. Recovery is swift and usually not noticeable by your friends and co-workers. The outcome won’t surprise you, either: it will still be you but looking younger and well-rested. The cost is much lower than that of surgery. True, to sustain the results regularly repeated treatments are needed. With all things considered, cosmetic injectables produce a great return on investment.
Cosmetic injectables are not substitutes for cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic injectables are however an excellent, alternative or adjunctive, cosmetic non-invasive procedure that can produce impressive anti-aging enhancements with lower risk and cost. More and more consumers are discovering that Botox and Hyaluronic acid injectables are effective, safe and affordable treatment choices for an aging face. It comes as no surprise that the popularity of cosmetic injectables continues to skyrocket.