About Cosmetic Fillers
Scaled and wrinkled skin can be revitalized with cosmetic fillers. This page provides general information about popular injectable cosmetic fillers.
Cosmetic fillers are an injectable gel. Injectable facial filler is used by dermatologists and facial plastic surgeons to soften deep folds and reduce wrinkles in the face. The substance is largely a substance normally found in the skin, muscles, and tendons of mammals. Approved in June 2006 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the prime use of fillers is to remove nasolabial folds, or “smile lines.” These are the creases of skin which run from the corners of the nose to the corners of the mouth.
Fillers are also used as a lip augmentation agent, and to fill in hollow places and scars on the face. However, facial filler products are eventually absorbed by the body, usually within six to nine months. Follow-up treatments are often needed to maintain the younger look. Fillers are also used by doctors to plump lips, which lose fat and internal shape with normal aging.
Cosmetic fillers are derived from natural substances produced in skin. They act to keep skin moist and supple. This conditioning gradually degrades with aging. Today fillers are synthesized and the injected acid chains cross link with the natural gel-like water holding molecule that is the space filler and cushioning agent in all mammals. When placed in the skin, cosmetic fillers render the linked compounds more gel-like and smoother.
Newer types of cosmetic filler are now available. These products are made by the same manufacturer as the original products. They have the same successful cross linking capabilities as the predecessor. The product improvements make it easier to inject. Also, the duration of the treatment is shown by testing to extend as far as eighteen months. Studies show that 71 percent of patients report that their skin in treated areas was still rated as “very much improved” over the original skin condition prior to initial treatment.
Other types of synthesized fillers that are used for cosmetic skin treatments do not cross link with natural substances. These products may cause some undesirable side effects including numbness, bruising and swelling in the treated area. These effects are temporary and can be treated. Touch up treatments typically need to be repeated every six to twelve months.
Collagen is a key structural component that keeps skin youthful looking and smooth. As you age, your body’s collagen production decreases, and you may begin to see wrinkles. Some cosmetic injections such as lactic acid treatments (PLLA) are not actually an injected filler. Rather, PLLA is a treatment which, when injected under the skin, re-stimulates the host to produce its own collagen once again. It was not originally developed as cosmetic filler. First used as an additive to surgical suture thread to induce more rapid skin repair after surgery, it then became a treatment to repair skin lesions.
These products are now intended for use in people as a treatment regimen of up to 4 injection sessions that are scheduled about 3 weeks apart for correction of shallow to deep nasolabial fold contour deficiencies and other facial wrinkles. The results as a cosmetic treatment endure up to a few years at a time.
If you have questions about cosmetic fillers and anti-wrinkle treatments contact your local doctor, who will arrange for you to see a dermatologist.
