Injections that reduce the appearance of facial wrinkles...

Injections that reduce the appearance of facial wrinkles and folds are increasingly popular for consumers interested in minimally invasive anti-aging treatments. But how should you choose amongst the wide variety of wrinkle fillers and relaxers?

It's important for you to be aware that each wrinkle product gets injected in a specific manner. This has significance to the type of skin care result you seek.

For instance, Sculptra is injected deep into your skin -- into the subcutaneous tissue. This allows your plastic surgeon to cover a large area such as the cheek and to build up the entire area. Deep facial folds or sunken cheeks respond to Sculptra, whereas Botox would not provide this desired effect.

Juvaderm, a new comer to the facial aesthetics market gets injected into the dermis in order to fill facial wrinkles; Restylane which is similar in composition to Juvederm is also injected in this manner.

Botox isn't technically injected into the skin. It's injected into the muscle of expression and blocks the nerve impluses to that muscle. These nerve impulses are the cause of frowns between your eyebrows and in your forehead.

My practice uses 7 different facial fillers on a regular basis. The main “workhorse” of facial fillers are hyaluronic acid (hi-ya-lu-ronic) fillers, such as Restylane, Perlane, and Juvederm. This group of fillers are a smooth transparent gel, can be used essentially anywhere on the face, require no allergy testing, and typically last around 6-8 months. The duration is less when used in lips.

The next filler is Radiesse, a calcium-based filler with a milky white color and a thicker consistency than the hyaluronic acid fillers. Radiesse also requires no allergy testing and can be used in most locations on the face except for lips. Radiesse is the ideal filler for the cheek and midface areas, the nose, as well as the chin and the jaw-line. The firmer consistency of Radiesse makes it typically unsuitable for lip augmentation. The typical duration of Radiesse is 8-12 months.

The most natural of all facial fillers is fat which is removed from the person’s own body using a very gentle liposuction technique. Fat can be injected into all facial locations and has the advantage of longevity since the fat can stay alive in the new location. Fat injections are ideal for individuals with a thin face who need a substantial amount of volume augmentation.

Another category of facial fillers is Sculptra that is poly-lactic acid, a semi-natural substance that is easily broken down by the body to natural by and sake byproducts. The unique characteristic of Sculptra is that it has the ability to stimulate collagen production by the body. Sculptra treatments are typically performed in a series of 4 or 5 monthly injections into the regions that are in need of volume augmentation. Results appear gradually, typically within a few months form the start of the treatment and can last over 2 years. Sculptra is ideally used in the cheeks, jaw-line, and temples and does not require allergy testing.

The other filler that I use is ArteFill, permanent filler that was recently approved by the FDA. What makes ArteFill permanent are millions of tiny beads of acrylic that are not absorbable and cause the body to build a shell of collagen around then. ArteFill is only recommended for the nasolabial folds (creases to the side of the nose and mouth). ArteFill does require allergy testing, although allergies are extremely rare. Results for ArteFill appear gradually over 2-3 months as the product stimulates collagen production.

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