Anti-Wrinkle Fillers: Lose Those Lines!

What are anti-wrinkle fillers?

Where has the time gone? You look in the mirror and think, when was the last time I noticed all these wrinkles?

They are a natural occurrence: Wrinkles. Some people derive satisfaction from them as the praiseworthy signs of aging. Others don’t like them. Not one bit. For this group of people, there is a way to restore the youthfulness of skin by erasing those wrinkles.

Anti-wrinkle fillers are injections of substances that permanently fill the skin under wrinkles (stretching them out), or that temporarily reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Three popular injected substances to treat wrinkles are hyaluronic acid, collagen, and BOTOX.

Hyaluronic acid: It’s a lubricant that’s a part of our bodies’ natural connective tissue. It’s injected into wrinkled areas around the eyes, nose, mouth, and forehead. Once injected, it pumps or plumps up the skin, stretching the wrinkles so they’re invisible.

Collagen: This is an abundant substance in mammals. Wrinkles are caused when it thins, which means the plumpness of the skin is receding.

BOTOX: It temporarily paralyzes the muscles where wrinkles are forming.

Here are three different types of anti-wrinkle filling treatments:

Artefill: A permanent, non-absorbable skin filler approved by the FDA in 2006.

Artecoll: A permanent, non-absorbable, soft-tissue filler that uses collagen. It is FDA-approved.

Juvederm: This is one of the newest anti-wrinkle fillers out there, approved by the FDA in 2006. It’s mostly hyaluronic acid, and used primarily to treat smile lines, to fill in the hollow areas left by scars, and to plump up wrinkly lips.

In some cases, dermatologists harvest your own fat to use in anti-wrinkle injections. Depending on the situation and the desired result, using your own fat is preferable to using hyaluronic acid, collagen, or BOTOX.

You probably noticed the classifications above of permanent, non-absorbable substances. Well, here’s a breakdown of temporary and permanent anti-wrinkle injection treatments.

TEMPORARY, i.e. ABSORBABLE

Collagen—this substance, introduced above, is made from highly purified cow or human collagen, a natural protein found in mammals’ bodies.

Hyaluronic acid—also introduced above, this is a natural lubricant produced in our bodies.

Calcium hydroxylapatite—this is a mineral that is an important component of our bones. It’s used as a gel in anti-wrinkle filling treatments.

Poly-L-Lactic acid—it’s a synthetic polymer that’s biodegradable. Outside the realm of anti-wrinkle treatments, this polymer is used in dissolvable stitches and bone screws.

PERMANENT, i.e. NON-ABSORBABLE

Get ready for this lengthy name of a non-absorbable anti-wrinkle substance…ready? Polymethylmethacrylate beads, which are extremely small, round, smooth plastic pieces that are biocompatible. This means that they can safely be injected into human tissue.

Who would want to use them as treatment?

If you’re looking to correct smile lines, reduce the appearance of folds in your skin, plump up your wrinkly lips, or just generally restore a smoother look to your facial features, it could be worth your while to ask a dermatologist about anti-wrinkle filling treatments.

The benefits and drawbacks:

As with all medical procedures, there are risks, drawbacks, and potential side-effects involved. Let’s make you a well informed consumer and patient:

Anti-wrinkle injections can potentially bruise your skin, cause the development of scars, or even cause infections. In many cases, it could take a while for the treated area’s swelling to recede.

Artecoll can cause lumps to develop under the skin after injections. It’s difficult for doctors to treat this.

All hyaluronic injections are eventually absorbed into the body within six to nine months. That means that injections like Juvederm will need to be repeated.

Anti-wrinkle fillers can’t correct the looseness in cheeks, eyelids, and the neck. They are meant solely for wrinkles.

In terms of using your own fat for anti-wrinkle injections, you’ll have to be sedated or anesthetized because the dermatologist will have to extract fat from another part of your body.

Overall, the long-term effects of anti-wrinkle injections are unknown. Each filler has its own list of benefits and drawbacks.

Nevertheless, check out these positive facts:

The Food and Drug Administration has found Juvederm to be one of the more consistent treatments in correcting wrinkles.

When it comes to most anti-wrinkle treatments, little to no anesthesia is needed.

The bottom line:

People may consider wrinkles unfavorable and unattractive. Though they come with a host of side effects and drawbacks, a number of FDA-approved treatments reduce or eliminate the appearance of wrinkles.

The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.

If you are considering anti-wrinkle fillers, check out the following links to find specialists in your area:

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