Dermal Filler Injections

As the sands of time take their toll on our features, some fear that the only defense we have against their indelible mark involves a surgeon's knife. Most dermal fillers in use today provide an FDA-approved solution to smoothing out unwanted age lines and adding volume to your features. The procedures incur zero downtime, and their effects can be seen almost immediately.

The process is simple. A professional injects a substance into the areas surrounding the nose, mouth, and chin to smooth wrinkles by adding volume beneath the surface of the skin.

An anti-aging professional can educate you on the options available. Here are just a few of the more popular choices:

JUVÉDERM

With Juvederm^® therapy, a colorless gel called hyaluronic acid is injected into the treatment area.Hyaluronic acid is naturally created by the body, and acts as a sponge to absorb water and store it under the skin, lending your face a fuller, youthful appearance. Over time this chemical diminishes though, so Juvéderm^® treatments seek to restore it to a level that yields the desired results.

Within the Juvéderm^® family of products there are also several options to consider depending on the condition you wish to address. For example, Juvéderm^® Ultra Plus is a thicker gel used to fill deeper furrows in the skin, while Juvéderm^® Ultra is a thinner solution for smoothing away fine lines. Both options last for up to one year with just a single treatment.

JUVÉDERM Results

Before		After

Before & After pictures are provided by the product manufacturer.  Your results may vary.

RADIESSE

Radiesse^® uses microspheres of calcium hydroxylapatite suspended in a water-based gel to instantly restore volume to wrinkled skin. This substance is naturally absorbed over time, leaving the body's own collagen in its place. The results can last for over a year.

RADIESSE Results

Before		After

Before & After pictures are provided by the product manufacturer.  Your results may vary.

SCULPTRA

Unlike some other options, Sculptra^® can take a short period of time before its benefits come to full realization. Patients take part in three injections over a range of a few months, allowing the patient to gradually erase their age lines without having to explain how they vanished overnight. These injections are filled with a synthetic substance known as poly-L-lactic acid which stimulates the body's production of collagen. It's the same material used in the manufacturing of dissolvable stitches and is safely absorbed by the body over time. The results of Sculptra^®last more than two years.

SCULPTRA Results

Before		After

Before & After pictures are provided by the product manufacturer.  Your results may vary.

Restylane

Much like Juvederm^®, Restylane^® uses hyaluronic acid to reduce wrinkles and folds by adding volume to the skin. It is also effective in enhancing the fullness of your lips and has been FDA approved for the purposes of lip enhancement for patients over the age of 21.

Hyaluronic acid is a chemical that is naturally produced by the body, and lends fullness to your skin. Over time, this chemical diminishes leaving wrinkles and folds, particularly in the space between your nose and the sides of your mouth.

The injections will be absorbed naturally by the body over time, but with follow up treatments at 4.5 or 9 months, Restylane results can last up to 18 months.

Restylane Results

Before		After

Before & After pictures are provided by the product manufacturer.  Your results may vary.

Restylane Lyft

Restylane Lyft^® is another treatment option found within the Restylane^® family of products formally known as Perlane. It is also a hyaluronic gel designed to add volume to skin. Restlyne Lyft is effective in reducing wrinkles, folds, and smile lines, as well as enhancing the fullness of your lips.

The main difference between Restylane Lyft and Restylane is that Restylane Lyft is a thicker gel, and it is injected deeper into the skin. It can be a better option or clients with thicker skin, or for wrinkles that originate deeper within the face. Restylane Lyft results last between six to nine months.

LaViv

LaViv^® takes an entirely different approach to skin rejuvenation than some of the techniques described above. It is designed to use your body's own tissues to stimulate the production of collagen. Here is a brief description of how the process works:

Collagen resides in the middle layer of your skin, and it is the substance that is most responsible for giving your skin its shape. Fibroblasts are the skin cells that produce collagen.

During the LaViv^® process, a skin sample is taken from your body, and sent to a lab where it is cultivated into millions of fibroblast cells. These cells are frozen for three months. The new fibroblasts are then injected back into your skin where they begin producing new collagen.

The injections take place over three visits spaced three to six weeks apart. The results of this treatment last up to six months.

LaViv Results

Before		After

Before & After pictures are provided by the product manufacturer.  Your results may vary.

Author

Gul A. Zikria, MD, FACOG As an expert in preventive care, innovative treatment solutions, and laparoscopic surgery, board-certified OB/GYN Gul A. Zikria, MD, FACOG, is a trusted practitioner who’s been in private practice since 1985. Dr. Zikria earned his doctor of medicine from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark. He went on to complete a competitive surgical residency program at Georgetown University in Washington. Dr. Zikria then went through a comprehensive obstetrics and gynecology residency program through the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center at the Magee-Women’s Hospital. He welcomes new and existing patients to his practice in Milpitas, California.