As you age, your body produces less collagen, allowing your skin to sag. At the same time, wrinkles and folds become more prominent and you begin to lose volume. Very few of us feel good about these changes.
Happily, dermal fillers are easily available, and when they are injected by a highly skilled practitioner like Dr. Tiffany Su at Skin Shop MedSpa, they are extremely effective. If you’re feeling unhappy with what you see in the mirror, we may be able to help. In this post, we describe some of the products we offer to help you understand what may work for you.
Juvéderm® has been approved by the FDA since 2006, and it has a great deal of name recognition. It effectively treats fine lines and wrinkles and the results last.
The Juvéderm line of products all contain hyaluronic acid, which is a clear, gel-like substance that your body naturally produces. It retains water and helps to keep your eyes and skin lubricated and well-hydrated.
Just as your body produces less collagen with age, it also slows production of hyaluronic acid and the result is shrunken, shriveled skin. When you have a Juvéderm injection, the hyaluronic acid in it immediately plumps up your skin and smooths out lines and wrinkles.
Whichever Juvéderm product you choose, you can rest assured that you’re receiving a proven treatment that can last up to two years before you need a booster.
Radiesse® is an injection as well, but it addresses the deficiency of collagen instead of hyaluronic acid. Collagen is a protein, and it helps your skin be resilient and elastic, so when you have less of it, you may notice sagging.
The goal of Radiesse is to trigger your body to amp up collagen production on its own. To do this, your Radiesse injection contains countless tiny microspheres of calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA), which stimulates your body to create collagen.
The injection adds volume beneath your skin right away, but your results improve with time because your body begins to produce more collagen. Your skin begins to regain some of its fullness and elasticity.
Radiesse is especially effective in helping to smooth out the lines that form around your mouth and nose and in plumping your cheeks. Radiesse contains nontoxic and nonallergenic ingredients and any sort of negative reaction is rare.
Radiesse is also the first dermal filler to be approved for the treatment of hands that are showing signs of aging.
Like Juvéderm, Belotero Balance® uses hyaluronic acid to increase the volume of your skin and smooth the lines and wrinkles on your face, but there are some distinct differences. The two products have different formulations and they require different techniques when they are injected.
Belotero Balance is injected superficially under the top layer of your skin. Belotero Balance is best for fine lines and wrinkles, while Juvéderm is injected deeper into your skin to plump up etched-in lines. Both products are available in a range of densities; however, we’ve found they work best when used at these depths.
While excellent at smoothing your crepey skin and superficial lines, Belotero Balance’s lower density also means it lasts up to a year, versus up to two years with Juvéderm.
Dermal fillers are often a good starting point if you’re ready to start making changes in your skin’s appearance, but there are other products and procedures that may be beneficial for your individual situation. For example, microneedling and BOTOX® are popular and very effective procedures that can make a positive change in your appearance.
If you’d like to learn more about dermal fillers or other procedures and products, schedule an appointment at Skin Shop MedSpa today.
