Wrinkle Fillers

Juvederm, Restylane, Radiesse and Sculptra. There is so much more than the “old” collegen!

When the latest generation of injectable fillers came to market it really revolutionized the concept of the “lunch time procedure”. Along with Botox, truly amazing things can happen using these products with little or no recovery time needed.

There are two concepts to understand with injectable fillers. There is volume and there is crease filling.

Crease filling is the most common application for filler products. The smile lines and marionette lines (corner of mouth down to jaw) are far and away the most common place to use fillers. Hyaluronic acid (HA) products are usually the first line of treatment here and work very well. I like Juvederm and Restylane because of the excellent results and great longevity, which often times is over a year. The safety profile is excellent and the product is dissolvable if you have any reason to want it out. Other common creases to fill include the ones between your eyebrows (usually in conjunction with Botox), dimples, and, acne/chicken pox scars.

Volume filling is the latest concept in facial rejuvenation. Common areas to fill for volume include the lips, lower eyelids, cheeks, temples, and along the jaw line. With aging, we tend to lose fat in our face. Volume filling reshapes your face to a more youthful appearance. In the lower eyelids I only use the HA products. This area is absolutely unforgiving and only a dissolvable product should be used. At the same time, filling this area can make a dramatic difference. The lips are also very well treated by HA products such as Juvederm and Restylane.

Cheek and temple filling is best done with Radiesse. This product is thicker and has superior longevity when treating these areas. Sculptra is also used in these areas, but I have not been impressed with the results. Sculptra requires a series of treatments, is costly, and is hit or miss on whether your body generates the collagen response needed to achieve results. Radiesse, on the other hand, is itself the volume filler and always produces some filling as it is not dependent on your body reacting to it.

Side effects are possible with any filler product. As is always the case with any injection, bruises can result. Generally they are minor and easy to cover with makeup. Lumps and irregularities can happen as well and usually can be corrected with massage.