These days we are bombarded with the “latest and greatest” products to help improve our appearance. The cosmetic pendulum has swung. More and more people are opting to have facial injections to help improve their appearance. As we age, our body fat redistributes, and we lose fullness in our faces. This causes the cheeks to sag, lines to form, and contributes to an aged appearance. Facial injectables or dermal fillers are products which are used to fill in areas of the face that are missing fullness. Whether enhancing your lips, or turning back the clock to look younger; facial injectables have a permanent place in the cosmetic surgeon’s armamentarium.

So why are facial injectables gaining such popularity. The reasons are several fold:

1) No downtime- Facial injectable products are often called lunchtime rejuvenations because they can be performed in about the time it takes to eat lunch. There may be minimal swelling and/or bruising associated with it, but this goes away in several days.

2) They work- Done properly, dermal fillers will help you look your best. I stress done properly. We have all seen people that appear over-injected and over-done. This IS NOT the aim of the procedure. A physician with an artistic eye aims to restore your youthful appearance, or enhance you current appearance in a natural way. It is important to understand that dermal fillers are NOT replacements for other cosmetic surgery, but an additional tool that helps achieve completely natural appearing results.

3) Cost-The cost of dermal fillers is significantly less then that of major cosmetic surgical procedures. More and more people are learning that they can look fantastic at a similar cost to a day at the mall.

With this in mind- there are several FDA approved dermal fillers:

1) Restylane- Restylane is a hyaluronic acid, which is a sugar molecule that is naturally present in our skin. Since it is synthetically produced, there is minimal risk of allergic reaction. This product has been used in patients with auto-immune diseases and severe allergic problems without any problems.

2) Perlane- Perlane is very similar to Restylane except the hyaluronic acid is denser. It gives a more full correction, and is thus better for areas such as the cheeks. It also give fantastic results in the lips.

3) Juvederm- Juvederm is a synthetically produced hyaluronic acid, just like Restylane. The behave and work in a simialr fashion. Juvederm ultra plus is the equivalent to Perlane.

4) Evolence- Collagen is the most abundant protein in our skin. Collagen was the dermal filler of the 80’s. Celebrities and socialites flocked to this product as it was revolutionary. The problem was it didn’t last very long, and patients had to be reinjected every couple of months. Since it was made of bovine collage, this product required skin testing and over 1% of people could have an allergic reaction to it.

Evolence is the latest dermal filler to hit the market in the US. It is made of porcine collagen that is synthetically reconstructed and processed. For this reason the product will last longer then collagen originally lasted, up to 1 year. In addition, NO skin testing is required. In a study of 500 patients receiving the product, not one patient had a reaction to it.This is an excellent product that can produce very natural results.

5) Radiesse- Radiesse is a dermal filler made from calcium hydroxyapetite in a gel form. This is a naturally occuring mineral that is found in our bodies. Radiesse produces remarkable results that last over a year.

You can view some results with each of these products at-

http://www.drsteiger.com/noninvasive/dermalfillers.html

There are certainly different levels of injectors. The procedure should be relatively painless and produce natural appearing results. It is recommended that you find a physician who is experienced with facial injectables, understands the complex facial anatomy, and who has an artistic vision is in-line with what you desire.