Given the relatively large number of available injectable fillers,ย it’s not surprising that the best choice of filler largely depends onย what exactly you’re trying to accomplish. Fillers can be used toย fill in lines and wrinkles, they can add volume to areas that appearย sunken, enhance lips, and they can also assist in firming up loose orย sagging skin. The major fillers are described below, together with their primary usages.
Restylane Product Family
Restylane is the trade name of a family of injectable fillers, allย containing hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid occurs naturally in theย body; it plays important roles in making body cartilage resilient,ย and lubricating the movement of muscle tissue, but it’s also a majorย skin component, contributing to the healthy appearance of skin andย accelerating the repair of damaged tissue.
The various members of the Restylane family can be used individuallyย or in combination. They combat age effects and wrinkles by restoringย volume to the skin, but each contains different particle sizes andย therefore addresses different problems. Restylane Silk’s fineย particles are designed to control fine wrinkles, Restylane’s mediumย particles are used to combat moderate to severe wrinkles and skinย folds, while Restylane Lyft’s larger particles can be used to fightย severe wrinkles, and fill larger depressed areas.
Restylane products are typically used under the eyes, in theย folds of the nose, around the mouth and lips, in the jowl area, asย well as helping to create fuller lips. Restylane Lyft is alsoย FDA-approved for restoring lost volume on the hands.
The Restylane Refyne and Restylane Defyne products are speciallyย adapted for use on areas of the face that are dynamic, where theirย added elasticity results in more natural facial expressions.
Because hyaluronic acid is naturally present in the body, itย dissolves naturally over time. The benefits of Restylane treatmentsย typically last between six and nine months, while a series ofย injections can last for up to 18 months.
Restylane Lyft used to be known as “Perlane”; it was rebranded whenย it received FDA approval for use in adding volume to sunken cheeks.
Juvederm Product Family
Several hyaluronic acid-based injectable gel products are marketedย under the Juvederm family name. They perform similar functions to theย Restylane product family, with the main characteristics summarized below.
Juvederm Voluma (also known as just “Voluma”) allows the contours ofย the face to be enhanced and is also FDA-approved for adding volumeย to hollowed-out cheeks. The hyaluronic acid used in Juvederm Volumaย is modified to create a more resilient filler; this allows theย product to also provide a degree of lift to sagging areas, andย results in benefits lasting over six months, sometimes up to two years.
Juvederm Ultra is used to treat moderate to severe facial wrinklesย and folds, and creates a very smooth effect, resulting in a veryย natural look. This product has a softer consistency and is ideallyย suited to augmenting the lips. It’s also adapted for use on areasย with especially thin skin, such as around the lips and eyes. Benefitsย last for at least four to six months, and sometimes up to a year.
Juvederm Ultra Plus is used to treat deeper lines and folds in theย skin. Its benefits last a few months longer than the Juvederm Ultra product.
Sculptra Aesthetic
Sculptra contains a synthetic substance (poly-L-lactic acid, or PLLA)ย that stimulates collagen production. It’s used to treat deep lines,ย creases, and folds, but is particularly effective at filling theย hollowness caused by loss of fat beneath the skin. It can take up toย three months for the benefits of a treatment to become fullyย apparent, but this also makes these improvements appear more natural.ย A Sculptra treatment can last up to two years, although one treatmentย a year is normally recommended to maintain the benefits.
Hopefully, this summary has answered more questions than it poses.ย Your Laser Skin Care happy to schedule a consultation, during which we’ll fullyย explain all the issues that surround the use of these fillers. Bear inย mind that while all fillers are injections, not every injection is aย filler. Some fillers (particularly Restylane) can be combined withย Botox injections to prolong their benefits. Several of the Restylaneย and Juvederm products are also available inย versions that incorporateย a local anesthetic, for use on sensitive areas of the face.
