Cosmetic
Fillers - BOTOX® | Restylane®
| Collagen
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BOTOX®
Cosmetic
Smile, laugh, frown, and make all the facial expressions you want
and stop worrying about wrinkles! After years of squinting, laughing,
frowning, smoking, and worrying, the skin around the eyes and on
the forehead often develops deep lines and wrinkles. These lines
are called "expression lines." Until now, this type of
wrinkle has been difficult to treat. Expression lines may often
make you look older, tired, or stressed. Now, by utilizing an already
approved muscle-relaxing agent, expression lines can be significantly
reduced.
What is BOTOX®?
BOTOX® is a therapeutic muscle-relaxing agent derived
from the bacterium, clostridium botulinum. For years physicians
have been using BOTOX® as a cosmetic treatment to
correct visible signs of stress and aging.
How does BOTOX® work?
Your brain sends messages to your muscles so that they can contract
and move. BOTOX® works to block the muscle from responding
to the message; as a result, the muscle relaxes and the overlying
skin remains unwrinkled and smooth.
What is treatment like?
BOTOX® is precisely injected, using a very fine needle,
into the specific muscle that is contracting. Treatment is effective,
safe, and takes approximately 10 minutes. The pain is a minimal
"pin prick" and no anesthetic is required, but can be
used if desired. Immediately following treatment, you may resume
regular activities!
What type of results will I see?
Usually, the effect of BOTOX® is visible within 3
days. Maximum benefits are reached between 10 to 14 days. Once the
muscle relaxes and the skin softens, you will have a more relaxed
and youthful appearance. BOTOX® injections will not
replace the need for a facelift. The ideal look may be achieved
by BOTOX® injections in conjunction with a facelift,
laser resurfacing, and skin rejuvenation.
Are there any possible side effects?
With BOTOX®, side effects, if any, are usually mild
and temporary. Botulinum toxins contain proteins and in some circumstances,
the body will form antibodies to the protein. If antibodies are
formed, the effect would be a lesser response to therapy. Temporary
bruising is sometimes experienced. This symptom resolves itself
within 2 to 3 days. In rare cases, there can be a slight drooping
of an eyelid or asymmetry of expression.
How long does a BOTOX® treatment last?
The effects of BOTOX® usually last 3 to 4 months.
You will notice a gradual fading of its effects. After several treatments,
the effects of BOTOX® may last 6 to 8 months. BOTOX®
offers sustained relief over the course of long-term treatment.
Restylane® & Perlane®
Facial lines and wrinkles are caused by a gradual breakdown of the
body's collagen and the elastin fibers in the skin. No one is immune
from experiencing this normal aging process. Squinting, frowning and
smiling also inflict stress on the underlying collagen in the skin
and accelerate the formation of these furrows. Until recently, injectable
collagen was the most widely used available cosmetic filler to improve
the appearance of these lines. Restylane® is a long
lasting cosmetic filler that provides dramatic results for improving
the appearance of facial lines, wrinkles and folds. This is a non-surgical
solution to soften facial lines and wrinkles, restore volume and fullness
to the skin, plump up lips, and fill in scars. Restylane®
injected into the lips can give back fullness to lips that have receded.
The cosmetic results are visible immediately, bestowing on you a more
youthful and invigorated look.
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How is Restylane® different from collagen?
Restylane® has been demonstrated to last much longer than the standard
bovine collagen injection. The occurrence of an allergic reaction
is extremely rare due to the product's non-animal associated basis.
Unlike injectable collagen filler that is made of bovine protein
and can cause an allergic reaction in some patients, Restylane® is
a natural substance, hyaluronic acid, which is a sugar molecule
already present naturally in the human body. The hyaluronic acid
in Restylane® is similar to that found throughout your body, which
gives volume and fullness to the skin. It is both biodegradable
and compatible with human hyaluronic acid. Because of this compatibility
it is not necessary for you to be tested for skin sensitivity.
What is the treatment like?
Restylane® is injected in small amounts under your skin to fill creases,
lines, wrinkles or folds. It is also injected around the lip area
to create volume, resulting in a more youthful appearance. A skin
test is not necessary prior to treatment, so treatment can be performed
at any time. In order to optimize your comfort, the treatment area
may be anesthetized with a topical cream or anesthetic block. Treatment
results are immediately evident.
What are the benefits of Restylane®?
- Immediately you will discern a smoothing of the wrinkles and folds.
- Restylane® will impart lift and new firmness to your skin.
- With lip enhancement, the results will be a noticeably fuller and more sensuous contour.
- It is not necessary for you to be tested for skin sensitivity.
- The cosmetic results are visible immediately,
bestowing on you a more youthful and invigorated look.
- When the effect of the treatment begins to diminish, you can replenish the area as needed.
How long do the results last?
Depending on many factors, such as your lifestyle, age and skin structure
your results may last as long as six months to a year or more. You
may require a touch up treatment 2 to 4 weeks after the first treatment
to achieve your desired result. Treatment to enhance the lips is reported
to last much longer than treatment using standard collagen filler.
When the effect of the treatment begins to diminish, you can replenish
the area as needed.
What can I expect following treatment?
You can resume normal activities following treatment. The most commonly
reported side effect has been redness and swelling at the injection
site. These effects typically resolve within a few hours or, at most,
a day or two. Results are immediately evident. Lines, wrinkles and
folds look softer and your skin looks smooth.
Collagen Replacement
Collagen is one of the key elements that keep our skin looking young
and smooth. Every time you smile, squint, frown or pucker up you put
stress on the underlying collagen in the skin, which results in the
development of facial lines. Collagen injections offer immediate and
dramatic results for those unhappy with the early signs of aging,
and are used as a non-surgical method to replace the skin's natural
collagen to smooth out facial lines, wrinkles, plump up lips and fill
in scars. Collagen injections produce results that can be seen and
felt immediately. In less time and with more effectiveness than creams
or peels, collagen treatments deliver immediate results and leave
you with a more youthful, refreshed and voluptuous looking skin.
What
is collagen?
Collagen is a natural protein that provides structure and is found
throughout the body in skin, muscle,
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tendon and bone. Collagen fibers are woven like threads to form a
framework and support structure and enhance the contours of the upper
layer of skin. It provides the skin texture with resiliency and shape.
Collagen in human skin is very similar to the collagen in some animals,
and as a result animal collagen has many medical applications, including
sutures and heart valves.
Since the early 1970's, physicians and medical experts experimented
with alternative materials for grafting skin. The research gave birth
to the concept of purifying animal collagen so it could be used to
replace lost tissue. Since 1976, more than one million people in all
parts of the world have been treated with collagen injections. Collagen
is used to replace the collagen that our body loses naturally over
time.
Who are candidates?
Injectable collagen is not meant for people who have excessive facial
skin or who need major resurfacing of their skin. It can, however,
be an adjunct to these procedures and fill in depressions that cannot
be helped by face-lifts or other cosmetic procedures Your medical
history will be reviewed. People who have a history of certain allergies,
various autoimmune diseases or are pregnant are not candidates.
How will I look and feel immediately after treatment?
Most patients may resume normal activates following treatment. There
will be temporary puffiness and slight redness surrounding the area
treated. The redness calms down almost immediately and the puffiness
lessens in a few days. The area around the mouth may feel slightly
tender for a day or two. Generally within a few days, the material
softens, blends and gradually is incorporated into your own skin and
takes on a natural look and feel of healthy skin tissue. Depending
on the area where collagen was injected, lips look fuller, lines are
filled in, and overall your face looks more youthful.
What
is involved in collagen treatments?
First a consultation is set up to determine if collagen replacement
therapy is an option to achieve the results you are looking for. Your
medical history is examined. Next your treatment will be performed.
Finally periodic collagen replacement treatments may be required to
maintain your desired look. If it is your first treatment, sometimes
a 1 or 2 week follow-up is suggested to ensure desired results.
How long does collagen
last?
Collagen replacement therapy is temporary. A patient who has had many
sessions will require less and less each time treated and the results
will last longer. First treatment results can last anywhere from 2
to 5 months. Eventually the collagen material is absorbed into the
body and metabolized. Touch up treatments are recommended to maintain
desired results.
What are the benefits
of collagen injections?
You will notice a reduction of frown or laugh lines, deep smile lines,
lip lines and worry lines. Crow's feet and facial scars will be greatly
minimized. Experience the thrill of fuller upper and lower lips.
SculptraTM
As we age, the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles become a common concern for most of us. Over time, our facial skin can take on a depressed and hollow appearance. For years, people have tried a variety of procedures to correct sunken cheeks, hollow eyes, indentations, and other signs of facial fat loss. Until now, there have been few FDA-approved treatments specifically for this condition.
SculptraTM is a breakthrough treatment that can be administered during an outpatient office visit and offers facial contour correction
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with long-lasting, rejuvenating results. Sculptra in an injectable sculpting agent that restores volume to correct the signs of facial fat loss. Used not only to fill furrows and wrinkles, Sculptra makes the skin appear firmer and smoother adding volume to your skin that restores your more naturally younger look..
What is Sculptra™?
Sculptra™ is a safe, synthetic, and biocompatible (doesn’t harm the body) material that is injected below the surface of the skin in the area of fat loss. It provides a gradual and significant increase in skin thickness, improving the appearance of folds and sunken areas. The latest in dermal fillers, Sculptra™ is composed of a synthetic material called poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA). PLLA has been widely used for many years in dissolvable stitches, soft tissue implants, and other types of implants. Sculptra™ adds volume to hollow and depressed areas on the face, including around the eyes and cheeks, by increasing the thickness of the skin. It also fills facial lines and wrinkles given its ability to stimulate collagen production. A skin test is not required with Sculptra™. Results are long-lasting and give your face a beautiful, full, refreshed look.
How is Sculptra™ different from Collagen or Restylane®?
Instead of simply filling in lines and wrinkles, Sculptra™ helps to stimulate the production of collagen to replace the lost volume in your skin. It provides a gradual increase in skin thickness and a more beautiful, natural new look. Sculptra™ is also longer lasting than alternative injectable fillers with effects sometimes lasting as many as two years.
What does treatment involve?
The procedure typically takes between 15 and 30 minutes. It is most often performed with the use of a topical numbing cream. The Sculptra™ filler is then injected beneath the surface of the skin, under the dermis and subcutis layer. Then, as its name implies, the area is recontoured or molded to the desired result.
How many treatments will I need?
Several treatment sessions are usually required to achieve the desired effect, which occurs gradually and could last up to two years. Depending on the severity of fat loss and depth of the wrinkles you may need a series of treatments and touch-up visits to obtain the best results. During your visit, the doctor will decide the appropriate number of treatment sessions and the amount of Sculptra™ you will need.
What are the benefits?
- Long-lasting results
- Quick treatments: less than 30 minutes
- Collagen stimulation is long-term
- Improved quality of life
What are the side effects?
Side effects of Sculptra™ may include the delayed appearance of small bumps under the skin in the treated area. Generally, these
bumps are not visible and may only be noticed when pressing on the treated area. Other side effects may include injection-related events at the site of injection, such as bleeding, tenderness or discomfort, redness, bruising or swelling. The side effects are minimal and can be discussed in greater detail during your consultation.
Is Sculptra™ right for you? Call us for a consultation.
Juvéderm™
Juvéderm™ is the latest dermal filler advance from Allergan Inc. Juvéderm™ is a "next generation" smooth gel, non-animal dermal filler offering a natural look or feel and long-lasting results for up to six months or longer. Juvéderm™ dermal filler lasts long because
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it's the only dermal filler currently available with the highest concentration of hyaluronic acid and a special formulation process. This process created a smooth gel that flows easily into the skin, creating smooth, natural looks.
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