Do Collagen-Stimulating Fillers Show Results Right Away?

It’s no exaggeration to say that cosmetic injectables have changed the way we address aging skin, and it’s little wonder that nearly 20 million of these treatments were performed in 2024 in the United States. 

Mixed in with these numbers is an increase in fillers that promote longer-lasting results, going beyond their simple volume-filling duties. Instead, these fillers promote youthful skin by stimulating collagen production, and nearly one million of the overall cosmetic injectable treatments are for collagen-stimulating fillers.

Recognizing how well collagen-stimulating fillers work, the Skin Shop MedSpa team, including Dr. Tiffany Su and Dr. Hui “He” Kang, is pleased to offer clients three great entries in this category — Radiesse®, Sculptra®, and Rejuran®.

Here, we look at how these collagen-stimulating treatments work and what you can expect in terms of results — one offers immediate results, while the others require a little patience on your part.

Behind sagging skin and wrinkles

Over the past two decades, we’ve experienced great success plumping, filling, and lifting aging skin with dermal fillers that contain hyaluronic acid (HA), a natural, moisture-retaining substance in your body. 

When we introduce HA into your skin, it provides immediate results, and these results can last for 4-6 months or more, depending upon how fast your body naturally reabsorbs the HA.

While HA fillers excel in many areas, they can fall short in delivering longer-lasting results. They also don’t address the underlying issue with aging skin — the loss of collagen and elastin. 

Collagen is a protein found in all tissues of the body, providing structure and strength to the body. In fact, collagen accounts for 30% of the total protein in your body. As you age, your collagen production naturally decreases, and exposure breaks down existing collagen fibers, which leaves you with increasingly lax skin that sags and wrinkles.

This issue is where collagen-stimulating fillers come in — they work below the surface to invite your body’s natural resources to rebuild support for your skin with collagen and elastin.

Let’s talk results with collagen-stimulating fillers

One of the aspects that people love about HA dermal fillers is that they can walk out with their results in place. With collagen-stimulating fillers, the focus is less on immediate results and more on gradual, but longer-lasting results.

Sculptra

Let’s first look at Sculptra, which relies on poly-L-lactic acid to create an inner framework in your skin that encourages collagen production. After your Sculptra treatment, you see immediate results, but these are short-lived due to the moisture content. After a day or two, these immediate results fade, and you need to wait about 9-12 months for the real results as new collagen lifts and tightens your skin from below. 

Radiesse

With Radiesse, you get the best of all worlds in terms of results. The active ingredient in Radiesse is calcium hydroxylapatite, which is suspended in a gel. Gel provides immediate filling results while calcium hydroxylapatite provides a scaffold upon which new collagen and elastin can gradually grow, giving you 9-12 months or more of great results.

Rejuran

This collagen-stimulating filler takes yet another approach to aging skin. At the heart of Rejuran are polynucleotides that come from salmon DNA. Upon injection, these polynucleotides stimulate the natural repair process in your skin, including a boost in collagen and elastin production. With Rejuran, results are not immediate, but your patience is rewarded over 4-6 weeks as your skin gradually firms and tightens.

The bottom line is that if you’re willing to be a little more patient, we’re confident that you’ll be thrilled with your results from collagen-stimulating fillers. Moving forward, we can stay one step ahead through follow-up treatments that keep your skin looking vibrant and youthful.

To determine which collagen-stimulating filler is right for you, contact our office in Houston, Texas, at 713-701-1717 today. You can also use the convenient booking feature on our website to schedule an appointment.