Choosing the Right Injectable Filler
In San Diego, California
The injectable facial filler market has grown tremendously in recent years. Collagen injections were very popular for their ability to correct age-related wrinkles and plump lips. The main drawback to collagen was its relatively short lifespan. Patients were often lucky to get four months of good results out of collagen injections. In addition, many collagens were animal-derived, which led to allergic reactions. The combination of great promise and significant shortcomings led to a drive to develop new injections that overcame them and gave patients safe, consistent, long-lasting results. Now a number of new, technologically-advanced alternatives have been developed, leaving those seeking non-invasive cosmetic treatments with only one problem: how to choose among the options. This page is designed to help people understand the benefits and disadvantages of their options.
Hyaluronic Acid-Based Fillers
Hyaluronic acid is a natural moisturizer produced by the body, and the basic ingredient in Restylane®, Perlane®, and JUVÉDERM®. Although these three fillers function in basically the same fashion, there are distinctions between the three fillers, and these distinctions affect when, where, and how they are used.
The main difference between Restylane and Perlane and JUVÉDERM is that JUVÉDERM is manufactured to produce a smooth gel, whereas both Restylane and Perlane have a granular texture, with Perlane having larger texture than Restylane. The advantage of JUVÉDERM's smoother texture is that it causes less irritation upon injection and can produce better cosmetic results in some areas, especially for lip augmentation. Although sometimes people have swelling for two or three days after Restylane and Perlane injections, swelling following a JUVÉDERM injection rarely lasts more than 24 hours, and sometimes is never evident.
There is a trade-off, however. The granular texture of Restylane and Perlane makes them more resistant to decomposition by the body, so they tend to give longer results, especially in very dynamic areas, such as the nasolabial folds or parentheses lines around the mouth. In addition, Perlane's even larger texture makes it suitable for injection into some of the deeper fat pockets whose loss is responsible for some of the loss of facial contour indicative of aging.
Composite Filler: Radiesse®
Radiesse is a filler composed of two parts: a methylcellulose carrier gel and calcium hydroxylapatite (CHA) microspheres. The methylcellulose is a highly biocompatible material and is quickly digested by the body, but the CHA is more resistant. CHA was first used as a bone filler, and although it is highly compatible with the body it is slow to digest, so it provides long-lasting results. Whereas JUVÉDERM results last for up to 12 months and Restylane/Perlane results last for six months to a year, clinical studies have shown that over 80 % of patients receive more than one year of full wrinkle correction from Radiesse injections.
And, of course, all of these fillers treat different wrinkles than are treatable with BOTOX® Cosmetic. If you would like to learn more about these injectable fillers and which might be right for your particular situation, read our injectables FAQ page and please request a complimentary consultation at our multi-specialty practice. Or you can call us in Vista at 760-726-6451 to schedule your appointment.
