People often clump neuromodulators such as Botox® in with dermal fillers such as Juvéderm®. Actually, the two classes of injectables couldn’t be more different in how they work and even the wrinkles they work upon. At the Center for Dermatology and Laser Surgery, we offer these fillers for our patients: Juvéderm®, Restylane®, Radiesse®, Belotero®, and Sculptra®.
Dermal fillers such as Juvéderm® and neuromodulators such as Botox® work in entirely different ways. As their name implies, when injected beneath a wrinkle, crease, or area of volume loss dermal fillers simply add instant volume. They “fill” in space and push the skin back upward. This only works when the wrinkle is known as a “static” wrinkle. These are wrinkles caused by sun damage, declining collagen production, personal habits, and other factors. Static wrinkles show themselves at all times.
Botox® and the other neuromodulators work in a completely different fashion. They are made from the botulinum toxin type A, the same bacteria that cause botulism. When the botulinum toxin is injected into a muscle, it stops the muscle from contracting for a period of time. Certain wrinkles on the upper third of the face form above muscle contractions under the surface skin. These are known as “dynamic” wrinkles. These are crow’s feet at the outside of the eyes, glabellar/frown lines between the brows, and forehead lines. When Botox® is injected into the muscles that create these wrinkles when they contract, the botulinum toxin stops the muscle contraction. The muscle stays at rest and the wrinkle that forms on the surface skin is erased for a period of around four months.
Bottom line — neuromodulators only work on dynamic wrinkles on the upper third of the face, and dermal fillers only work on static wrinkles and areas of volume loss on the mid to lower areas of the face.
Restylane® is categorized as a “natural” filler. It is made primarily of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance in the body that is responsible for hydrating and plumping the skin. When Restylane® is injected beneath a wrinkle or line, the hyaluronic acid binds with nearby water molecules and plumps the skin, pushing the skin upward and erasing the wrinkle.
Restylane® is intended to treat marionette lines, nasolabial folds, and other wrinkles around the mouth and nose. Its results last from 6-9 months.
Like Restylane®, Juvéderm® is categorized as a “natural” filler. It is also made primarily from hyaluronic acid. Juvéderm® is excellent for all of the lines and creases that form around the mouth.
Juvéderm® and Restylane® are the two most popular dermal fillers. Each began as an individual product and have since expanded their lines to target different areas of the face.
Juvéderm® erases lines and creases around the mouth and nose for 9-12 months, roughly three months longer than Restylane®.
Having an area of volume loss filled with Restylane® or Juvéderm® is simple and takes just 15-30 minutes. For most patients, we apply topical numbing cream prior to your injections to alleviate any discomfort, so you need to allow 30 minutes or so for that to take effect. Your results are immediate.
Radiesse® is a synthetic filler that uses a two-pronged approach to plumping the skin and filling wrinkles. First, it uses calcium microspheres to add structure under the skin where collagen (the skin’s natural structural support) has dwindled. Second, it encourages the body to build new collagen in the area of the injection to continue supporting the skin for up to one year.
Radiesse® restores lost volume in the lower face. Specifically, it is excellent for smile lines (the lines that run from the nose down to the corners of the mouth), marionette lines (the lines running downward from the corners of the mouth), pre-jowl folds, drooping corners of the mouth, and chin wrinkles.
The backs of your hands can really show your age with lost volume and wrinkling. Much of this is due to sun damage since the backs of the hands are almost always exposed. But lost volume is also simply a product of decreasing collagen, just as it is on the face.
Radiesse® was the first dermal filler approved by the FDA to restore volume to the backs of the hands. It fills out the shrunken look that comes with aging hands, leaving a smooth, natural-looking result. Radiesse® also minimizes the visibility of veins and tendons, another byproduct of volume loss. By providing instant volume, plus encouraging the production of new collagen (as described above), Radiesse® makes your hands look remarkably younger with results that last up to a year.
Results are immediate with Radiesse® as the gel and microspheres restore volume. Then, thanks to the renewed collagen production, results last up to one year or even longer in some patients.
Belotero® is a synthetic injectable facial filler that temporarily smoothes out and fills moderate-to-severe nasolabial folds and moderate-to-severe etched-in lines and wrinkles around your lips and mouth.
As the body’s supply of collagen, hyaluronic acid, and elastin drops, it makes our skin prone to wrinkling and developing lines. Lines in the mouth area are a direct result of decreases in these three substances and from actions such as smiling.
Belotero® is created using the proprietary Cohesive Polydensified Matrix (CPM) process. Rather than simply pushing up a wrinkle, Belotero® blends into the natural structure of your skin. Once injected the hyaluronic binds with water molecules to plump the skin. It is a smooth, flexible gel that gently fills the etched-in lines and wrinkles around your mouth.
Belotero® results are immediate upon injection. Those results usually will last around six months, although individual results may vary. Sometimes areas that move a good deal when eating, talking, or smiling may not last as long as other areas. There isn’t any recovery time.
With most dermal fillers, their results are instant. They are injected and they “fill” the wrinkle from beneath, pushing the skin back up.
Sculptra® is different; the results provided by this synthetic filler are not immediate. Sculptra® is made from poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), which works within the skin to replace lost collagen. Sculptra® is the first facial injectable that gives you subtle results over time as collagen is replaced. This makes for a natural-looking appearance that improves over time, not an instant change as with other fillers. Sculptra is injected in three sessions over three to four months for the best results. These results can then last for two years!
Our trained aestheticians inject Sculptra® into the deep dermal layer of the skin. This is the base of the skin’s second layer. Sculptra® is injected in three sessions over the course of three to four months. We apply topical numbing anesthetic prior to your Sculptra® sessions at the Center for Dermatology and Laser Surgery.
Sculptra is the longest-lasting injectable, delivering results for up to two years. It provides excellent improvement to the typical lines and creases that develop around the mouth, including deeper nasolabial folds.
To learn more about dermal filler injections please call (503) 297-3440 today.